Understanding autism

In this masterclass, Dr Elisa Back explains everything you need to know about autism. Autism is a common condition. Indeed, it is estimated that about 1 in 54 children are autistic and this number continues to increase. Autism is a life-long condition. It manifests differently in each child what means that it is sometimes hard for people to understand what autism is and how to relate to children with autism. This is why this masterclass is useful not only for parents whose children have been diagnosed with autism but for everyone, really. Because we should all be more aware of what autism is so we can understand children with autism better and make them feel accepted and loved.

About this expert:

Dr Elisa Back is an Associate Professor in Developmental Psychology at Kingston University London and a chartered Psychologist (CPsychol). She obtained her PhD in Psychology from the University of Nottingham in 2006. In 2007, she was awarded with the Neil O’Connor prize by the British Psychological Society’s Developmental section for her research about inferring mental states from facial expressions in autistic children. Her postdoctoral research was related to Theory of Mind and she carried this out at the University of Birmingham in 2006-2008. Dr Back joined the Department of Psychology at Kingston University in 2008. Her research area is social-cognitive development in typical and atypical populations across the life-span. Dr Back’s current research focuses on how autistic children perceive and interpret the world and the impact this has on daily life using a range of methodologies including eye-tracking and virtual reality. Dr Back is the course leader for the MSc in Child Psychology and the director of the Developing Minds Lab at Kingston University.