Call for Abstracts for Symposia and Workshops – Now Closed
Author Guidelines
Abstract submissions for Symposia and Workshops at the 14th Autism-Europe International Congress are now closed. The congress will take place during the 11th – 13th September in Dublin, Ireland. In 2025, our hosts are AsIAm from Dublin and the overall theme of the congress is Quality of Life: Research, Policy & Practice.
Abstract Queries
Email: aec.abstracts@abstractserver.com
Contact: Lamyae Lasfar
Topics for submission
We have been guided by our Scientific Committee to create a diverse and exciting programme that will include presentation topics on the following:
- Improving physical & mental health (Including topics relating to both physical and mental wellbeing and access to the health care system)
- Understanding ageing in autistic people
- Supporting autistic people to thrive & find meaning in life (Including topics such as interests, joy, leisure & creative arts)
- Vocation & Employment
- Creating safe and autism friendly environments (Including topics such as sensory, motor, socially safe, & predictable spaces).
- Accessing learning across the lifespan (Including topics such as access to education from early childhood to higher education, ongoing access to lifelong learning and formal and informal coaching)
- Gender & sexuality (Including topics relating to gender identity and expression, sexuality and sexual diversity)
- Embracing intersectionality & underrepresented perspectives (Including topics relating to communities that have traditionally been underrepresented in research, policy and/or practice)
- Accessing housing & autonomous living
- Autism and overlapping neurodivergence
- Autistic communication and autistic interaction
- Advancing rights: from advocacy and activism to policy changes
The programme will feature both invited and submitted symposia and workshops sessions.
All accepted authors must register.
To view the list of registration fees click here.
Abstract submissions – general provisions
You can submit an abstract for a symposium or a workshop. Both sessions are 1 hour in length. Suggested sessions should fit under one or more of the above Congress topics. Those submitting should be prepared to take responsibility for all content within the hour-long session, including chairing responsibilities.
Symposium
A symposium is a session based around a specific topic, with a number of experts speaking on that topic from different perspectives. The experts work together to develop the session, which is how it differs from a themed session of oral presentations. A symposia should present a diversity of perspective/experience, while also integrating those perspectives into a meaningful whole.
Workshop
A workshop is an interactive session designed to engage participants in hands-on activities, discussions, and collaborative learning.
If you are unsure which type of submission you should make, please email the Scientific Committee
Submission process – how to write an abstract?
For both types of submissions the following headings can be used as a guide.
- What is the central topic being addressed? (Why is it important to the community? What is the state of knowledge about the topic?)
- How will the session be structured? (How will information be shared? What types of perspectives will be shared?)
- How will the perspectives of the autistic community be included in the development and/or delivery of the session?
We ask that all submissions include the practical impact of the work e.g. concrete conclusions or tips that can be used personally or in practice to benefit the lives of autistic people.
For both Symposium and Workshop submissions, we ask that submissions include potential trigger warnings from the list below:
Sexual assault; Abuse; Child abuse, paedophilia and incest; Self-harm; Suicide; Eating disorders, body hatred and fat phobia; Violence; Death and dying; Pregnancy and childbirth; Mental illness; Racism and racial slurs; Sexism and misogyny; Transphobia and transmisogyny; Homophobia and heterosexism.
This allows us to support our reviewers who may not wish to read abstracts based around certain challenging topics.
N.B. It is the author’s responsibility to submit a correct abstract. Any error in spelling, grammar or scientific fact will be reproduced as typed by the author.
Deadline
Abstracts must be submitted no later than 11.59pm on 17th January 2025.
Abstracts submitted after the abstract deadline will be rejected. It is possible to modify your abstract until the submission deadline.
Rules for Abstract Submission
- Online submission only
Symposium / workshop organisers must submit an abstract online via the abstract submission page of the congress website. Any abstracts sent by post, fax or e-mail will not be accepted. The registration may be done after abstract acceptance notification (a short window for registration will be provided after notification).
- Abstract text
All abstracts must be written in English. The text should lie within the indicated frame on the form and the maximum word count is 500 words. The abstract should contain neither illustrations nor tables. The symposium / workshop organiser may submit an overall summary abstract for the symposium / workshop; alternatively the symposium / workshop organiser may provide a short description of each of the presentations within the symposium / workshop – in either case the maximum word count for the abstract is 500 words. In addition to the scientific abstract, we request a plain English/lay summary of abstract (maximum 500 words).
Abstracts will be reviewed and the accepted presentations that will be included in the Book of Abstracts.
- Disclosure of potential conflict of interest
This is a mandatory requirement for all authors of all submissions. All authors, including all co-authors, submitting abstracts are required to disclose their sources of contributed support (commercial, public, or private foundation grants).
Authors are also required to signify whether there may be a real or perceived conflict of interest.
Disclosures will be included in the Book of Abstracts and must also take place at the time of presentation (both orally and in writing).
Acceptable language
Autism-Europe and AsIAm operate on the principle of respect for diversity. We feel that it is important to use language that people are comfortable with. However, there are some terms that are likely to cause offense and it is advisable to avoid using.
When submitting abstracts and preparing the presentations and posters, please keep in mind the following guidelines: Within Autism-Europe, the acceptable terms are: ‘autistic person/people’ as the most commonly preferred term by autistic adults, ‘people on the autism spectrum’ as the most preferred term amongst autistic adults, families and professionals and ‘person with autism’ in order to keep in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that utilises person first language throughout.
Some people refer to themselves and one another as an autist / autie / aspie. Whilst we accept that people may wish to refer to themselves and each other in this way, it is often less acceptable when used by a ‘neurotypical’ person.
Please do not use the following terms/expressions that are likely to cause offense:
- Suffers from or is a victim of autism. Consider using the following terms instead:
- is autistic
- is on the autism spectrum
- has autism / an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) / an autism spectrum condition (ASC) (Note: The term ASD is widely used by many professionals, you may prefer to use the term ‘autism spectrum condition’ or ‘on the autism spectrum’ because it avoids the negative connotations of ‘disorder’.)
- “Kanner’s autism”
- “Asperger’s syndrome is a rare/ mild form of autism”
- “Autism is a disease/ illness”: consider using the following instead:
- autism is a disability
- autism is a condition
- Retarded/ mentally handicapped/ backward: these terms are considered to be derogatory and offensive. Consider using the following terms instead (where it is appropriate to do so):
- people with a learning disability
- people with a developmental disability
- people with an intellectual disability
- Normally developing children/ adults: consider using the following terms instead:
- neurotypical (Note: This term is only used within the autism community so may not be applicable in, for example, the popular press.)
- typically developing children / adults
Review process
Each submitted abstract will be reviewed by at least two individuals. These will include autistic people, researchers, practitioners, members of the congress Scientific Committee, members of Autism-Europe and family members and carers.
Submissions will be scored against three criteria:
- Quality of the work – Do the potential presenters have clear expertise on the topic (via work or lived experience)? Are a diverse range of perspectives included and synthesised? Will the session highlight best practice and evidence-based approaches?
- Novelty and innovation – Will the session address a topic that is traditionally less represented? Has a unique approach been taken to develop new understanding or new practice? Will the session provide space for an often-unheard voice or opinion? Do the presenters hold an opinion that is controversial in relation to their topic?
- Impact on the community or field – Could the perspectives being shared lead to a new understanding of autistic experience? Could approaches to practice change based on knowledge produced?
Reviewers will share their scores and comments with the Scientific Committee who will then decide which of the highest scoring abstracts would best fit with the overall Congress theme.
Those submissions that score below a certain cut off, or that have been flagged by reviewers, will be checked by a member of the congress team to confirm that they should not be included in the congress programme.
The Scientific Committee welcome submissions that represent the broad and diverse experiences of autistic people across the community.
Notification of abstract selection
Notification of abstract selection will be sent to the submitting author by e-mail no later than Friday 7th March 2025. They will be responsible for communicating the decision to all of their symposium / workshop presenters. All accepted authors will have to register – the deadline date for registration will be published in your acceptance email. To view the list of registrations fees click here.
Withdrawal
Only the submitting author may request the withdrawal of an accepted abstract. Requests for withdrawals must reach the congress organisers in writing by e-mail. It is the responsibility of the author to check whether the congress organisers have received their withdrawal message to avoid the risk of the abstract being printed in the programme.