Shine A Light on Autism Event

Scholarship Event
Written By Emily Jennings

Summary of Event

Held in Autism Awareness week 2025, the Shine A Light event hosted multiple different aspects of Autism research

  • 5 Minute Student talks on Autism research

    • Addiction

    • Sleep

    • Sensory Issues

    • Criminal Justice System

  • Workshops

    • Synaesthesia

    • Digital Stories

    • Wellbeing

    • Kindness

  • Poster Exhibition of Students work

  • Sensory Room - guide for set up

Sensory Room Set Up guide

Student Discussion about the event

What was your favourite part about preparing the talk?  
KJ: I really enjoyed looking into previous research and relevant studies and widening my knowledge with that. I also included a clip from Adolescence (Netflix) that I liked finding and including, as I knew it would be a good attention grabber for my talk. 

If you could describe the talks in one word, what would it be? 
KJ: Informative! 
TF: Engaging  

Did you enjoy watching the talks?  
KJ: I loved it – it was really great to share something I cared about with people, and learn about their passions in return. 
TF: I thought the talks were great to watch and provided an opportunity for students to introduce topics within autism and each one had something insightful to offer. It was clear that the speakers had put a lot of thought into their topics and overall, it was an enjoyable session 

Which talk was your favourite? 
KJ: I really loved the Autism & Addiction talk. 
TF: My favourite talk was definitely the talk on police caution and autism, I really enjoyed the incorporation of a video clip 

Did you ask any questions? 
KJ: Yes! I think giving my talk first gave me the confidence to draw that attention later on when given the chance to ask questions. I really loved getting to have discussions with people about their topics, instead of just sitting and listening. 

How was the pacing of the talks?  
KJ: It was good. The timing was really well organised, and it didn’t feel like anyone was being rushed at any point. 
TF: I think the pacing of the talks was very engaging as they were short so it was much easier to pay attention to all topics and gave a good foundation to the research

What are your thoughts on the 5-minute talk format? 
KJ: I really liked it. I think it was enough time for people to get their main points across without being rushed, and I liked that there was equal time after for questions. 
TF: I have never attended any talks in this format so it was very interesting to watch, I feel there was enough time for the speakers to give a run down on their research as well as expanding on that during the Q&A section. 

Was there anything that you learnt from the talks that you didn’t know before?  
KJ: I learnt a lot! I think I learnt the most from the talks of Addiction and Sleep Hygiene, and how those things can affect Autistic people in different ways to non-Autistic people. 
TF: Almost all of the talks taught me something new that I didn’t know before. I gained a lot more insight into sensory sensitivity, and I realized how many different sensory aspects, many of which I hadn’t initially considered, can affect someone who is neurodivergent. 

Would you be interested in seeing more detailed presentations of any of the talks?  
KJ: Absolutely. As much as the 5-minute talks worked, I definitely think all of the presentations had the potential to be longer and more in-depth, and I would love to see that happen. 
TF: Yeah, definitely! Some of the talks touched on really interesting points, and I’d love to see a deeper dive into a few of them. 

Would you attend more events like this in the future?  
KJ: 100%! 
TF: Yes, I definitely would