“Perspectives on Autism, Neurodiversity, and Resilience”

Professor Vicki Bitsika AM FRSN
Discipline Convenor of Neuroscience
University of New England

Panellists
Dr Wayne Arnold
Brain Behaviour Research Group, UNE
Jane Weier
Parent and Educator
Georgia Vu
Autism Advocate

Date: Wednesday, 12 August 2026
Time: 5.00–7.30 pm AEST
Venue: NOVA, 122 Faulkner Street, Armidale NSW 2350
Entry: No charge
Registration: Please register before 12.00 noon AEST on Tuesday, 11 August 2026
All are welcome

Please click here to register Summary: The frameworks for identifying autism conditions have evolved significantly over recent decades, gradually moving away from narrow diagnostic labels to increased understanding of autism as a natural variation in neurodevelopment, with individuals experiencing a range of assets, strengths, and support needs. As our understanding continues to grow, so does the importance of creating spaces in which perspectives from lived experience, clinical expertise, and research evidence are equally recognised and valued. This community event brings together presenters who will advocate for each of these perspectives with the aim of enhancing the resilience, well-being, and quality of life for autistic individuals across the lifespan.

Professor Vicki Bitsika AM PhD CF FRSN FCCLP has specialised in the diagnosis and treatment of people with neurodevelopmental conditions and mental ill-health for over 30 years. She is a Clinical Psychologist who has consulted in schools and Human Service facilities in Australia and internationally, with a focus on developing training services for educators and mental-health professionals, and techniques for addressing complex behavioural difficulties. She was Founder and Director of the Centre for Autism Spectrum Disorder at Bond University from 2010 to 2019, before joining Biomedical Sciences at the University of New England.

Professor Bitsika was awarded an Australian Learning and Teaching Council citation in 2009 for “exemplary translation of clinical practice into development of hands-on, innovative, and student-focused curriculum and teaching techniques in Behaviour Management”. She received a Winston Churchill Fellowship in 2010 to investigate specialised intervention technologies for children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the USA and UK. In 2016, Professor Bitsika was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “significant service to tertiary education in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders, as an academic, and as a supporter of people with disabilities”. She was admitted as a Fellow into the Royal Society of NSW in 2023.

She is currently Discipline Convenor for Neuroscience in the School of Science & Technology and Chair of the New England North West Branch of the NSW Royal Society. Her research interests focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder; Neurophysiological and Psychological aspects of anxiety, stress and depression; and Clinical Diagnosis and Assessment. She maintains a clinical practice designed to serve autistic individuals and their families.