Independent Audiologists Australia invites you to join our transformative online conference, bringing together international experts from multiple disciplines, to enhance understanding and support for autistic listeners of all ages. This research-focused and multidisciplinary event will benefit ALL professionals with an interest in evidence-based, neuro-affirming practice, to better understand and support autistic individuals in their listening at home, school, work and in the community.
Conference Details
Date: Saturday, 24 May ONLINE
Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM AEST
Format: Virtual event featuring expert presenters from all over the globe. Concise, targeted 40-minute talks will allow delegates to digest each researcher's key findings without interruption. A short transition period after each presentation will facilitate listening breaks and intentional resetting of focus between sessions. Optional bonus attendance at one of our small group interactive panel discussions with select speakers will allow for a truly collaborative post-event Q&A experience - be sure to select this option at registration to secure your participation and elevate your learning.
Can't make it live? All sessions will be recorded and made available to registrants post-event, so you won't miss a thing!
Meet Our Expert Speakers:
Dr Alexandra Sturrock is a Speech and Language Therapist working at The University of Manchester, UK, on the BSc Speech and language Therapy programme. She has a clinical and research specialism in Autism and focuses on communication assessment and interventions with older children and adults where intellectual disability is not a feature. Alexandra is a long term advocate of collaborative working with stakeholder groups, and her research aims to prioritise autistic voice (NIHR grant funded 2025). As such, she is an integral member of the public engagement group Autism@Manchester. Through this role she met like-minded autism, autistic and auditory science researchers who collaboratively founded the SPAACE programme (Speech Perception by Autistic Adults in Complex Environments).
Presentation: Chasing The conversation: Insights into autistic listening differences and strategies to manage them
Dr Angela Loucks Alexander, Audiologist, specialises in diagnosing and treating Auditory Processing Disorder (APD). Angela's TEDx talk "Escaping the Hidden Prison of Auditory Processing Disorder" was the most-watched TEDx worldwide in September 2021. She recently released a short film called Between Two Ears. Angela directs the Auditory Processing Institute, where she trains audiologists and speech-language pathologists to provide APD services. She has also created an online, searchable map to help clients find the help they need at www.APDsupport.com.
Presentation: Unlocking understanding: Sensory-Informed assessment and treatment for autistic listeners with auditory processing differences
Dr Bonnie Lau is the director of the Laboratory for Auditory Neuroscience and Development at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her research combines brain and behavioural measures to investigate the relationship between how hearing develops and how language is acquired. One goal of her research is to develop objective measures that can be used in clinical practice to help better identify children who are at risk for language learning difficulties and to guide the personalisation of treatment for each individual child.
Presentation: Early identification, personalised treatment: How objective measures of auditory processing differences can help language learning for young autistic listeners.
Dr Fang Liu is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences at the University of Reading. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics and an M.S. in Statistics from the University of Chicago. Before joining Reading, she served as a lecturer in the Department of Language and Linguistics at the University of Essex and completed postdoctoral research at University College London, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Stanford University, and Goldsmiths, University of London. Dr Liu’s research focuses on how the human brain processes pitch information for both linguistic and musical purposes during production and perception. Using behavioural and EEG methods, she has published over 60 journal articles investigating neurodevelopmental conditions such as amusia, autism, and dyslexia, as well as tone language speakers and musicians. Her work aims to advance our theoretical understanding of language and music processing in both typical and atypical development, while also contributing to the development of practical applications such as using music to facilitate language acquisition in autism.
Presentation: Songs build speech: Using music to facilitate language acquisition in autism.
Dr Makio Kashino received a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in psychophysics from the University of Tokyo in 1987, 1989, and 2000, respectively, and joined NTT in 1989. He served as Director of the Human Information Science Laboratory in NTT Communication Science Laboratories (2010-16), Project Manager of Sports Brain Science Project (2017-19), and Head of Kashino Diverse Brain Research Laboratory (2019-24). He has been an NTT Fellow since 2018. He has been engaged in elucidating the functional and neural mechanisms that enable flexible and sophisticated information processing without awareness, especially in auditory perception, multisensory interactions, sensorimotor interactions, and communication. Recently, he has expanded his research to include people with developmental disorders, athletes, and musicians, studying cognitive diversity and plasticity from the perspective of the dynamic interaction of brain, body and environment, and attempting to use the findings to solve real-world problems. He is the author of two books on auditory illusions (in Japanese).
Presentation: Same Sound, Different Brain: Neural mechanisms behind listening differences in autism.
Dr Patrick Dwyer is a Canadian research fellow at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC) at La Trobe University. Patrick is autistic. Patrick’s research is primarily focused on how autistic people experience and attend to the world around them, and especially on autistic experiences of sensory distress and discomfort, including sound intolerance. In addition, Patrick is interested in the acceptability and meaningfulness of autism supports to community members, in the neurodiversity advocacy movement, in the accessibility of sensory spaces for neurodivergent people, and in the inclusiveness of postsecondary education for neurodivergent populations. Patrick is also a member of the Australasian Autism Research Council (AARC), the membership committee of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR), and the executive committee of the Australasian Society for Autism Research (ASfAR), and serves on the editorial boards of the journals Autism in Adulthood and Neurodiversity.
Presentation: Sound tolerance in autism: Conceptualisation and relationship to attention.
Dr Philippa James earned a Master of Clinical Audiology in 2012 from The University of Melbourne and a Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) from the University of Florida in 2017. Philippa is based at the department of Audiology & Speech Pathology at The University of Melbourne. She runs an Audiology clinic for autistic children. She has over ten years of clinical experience working with both children and adults in a variety of settings. From 2017, Philippa worked with the global Phonak paediatric team and the Sonova HQ Research & Development team to develop a best practice clinical model for the identification and support of auditory difficulties in autistic children. Her current research continues to focus on auditory supports for autistic children, specifically those with decreased sound tolerance disorders.
Presentation: Integrated auditory supports for autistic children: In therapy, at home and in the community.
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Dr Tegan Keogh is a specialist clinical audiologist, who has practiced Audiology on the Sunshine Coast & Brisbane since 1999. Her research interests include the impact of middle ear pathology on children's speech understanding in the classroom. Tegan has worked extensively across the Audiology profession including at large tertiary hospitals, Hearing Australia and the University of Queensland. She established the only State Public Health Audiology Service within the Sunshine Coast and greater area. She has contributed to the development and implementation of state-wide policy and protocols, research innovation, and ensuring the provision of quality audiology services for both children and adults across Queensland. Tegan has consulted for the NZ Ministry of Health and QLD Workplace Health & Safety to improve service provision and implement quality assurance mechanisms. Tegan opened her own practice, Hear Check, in 2015 and now runs a thriving clinic providing specialised services to children, adults and pensioners on the Sunshine Coast, including school advisory services and a specialist auditory processing clinic.
Presentation: How does a middle ear infection impact listening for a child with autism?
Professor Yang Zhang is a professor in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences and the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He obtained his PhD in Speech & Hearing Sciences from University of Washington and did his postdoctoral research at the Institute of Learning and Brain Sciences. His advisor was Dr. Patricia Kuhl. With a strong interdisciplinary focus, he specializes in neural basis of speech perception and production, exploring how individuals process and produce spoken language across different stages of development and conditions. He currently serves as an associate editor for Developmental Science and section editor-in-chief for Brain Sciences. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, including 27 at the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research and 14 articles on autism in journals such as Autism, Autism Research and Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Presentation: Is perception of pitch different for autistic listeners?
A Truly Multidisciplinary Opportunity
This virtual conference creates a unique space for collaboration among:
- Speech Pathologists
- Psychologists
- Occupational Therapists
- Teachers
- Support Coordinators
- Paediatricians
- Audiologists
- Autistic listeners, their parents and families
- Autism organisations and community groups
Together, we'll explore and examine innovative approaches to supporting communication needs across different environments and contexts.
Conference Structure
We've designed an engaging and accessible format:
- Focused 40-minute presentations with planned transition periods
- Thoughtfully curated session blocks featuring expert international speakers, centred around key themes
- Option to join limited-access LIVE interactive panel discussions with our speakers, for deeper engagement through reflection and Q&A (additional fee applies)
- All sessions will have captions available, and will be recorded for post-event viewing
About Independent Audiologists Australia
IAA is a not-for-profit professional association representing audiologists in independent practice throughout Australia. Our members are Masters-qualified (or equivalent) audiologists with a financial interest in clinics that are at least 50% audiologist-owned. All members adhere to a rigorous code of ethics and are committed to delivering patient-centred, evidence-based care.
This conference offers a valuable opportunity to develop integrated approaches to supporting communication for autistic individuals, their families and their support networks.
Register today to secure your place at this important professional development event!
