Embedded Files
Testimonials
"I loved how easy you were to follow whilst managing to welly in loads of recent evidence, historical facts and meaningful anecdotal things."
- Julia Gamlen, Seed Talk attendee
"Dr. Gemma Williams was incredibly thoughtful of the audience, creating such a warm and welcoming environment. A particular highlight was when she took out her dangly earrings because they were making noise in the microphone; such a small but considerate (and funny!) moment."
- Natalie (McGrady) McFall, Seed Talk attendee
"Excited to share my experience attending an inspiring (and emotional) talk ...The event shed light on the unique challenges and strengths of women and girls on the autism spectrum. It was empowering to hear from Dr Williams, a passionate speaker and an advocate for more research and inclusion."
- Claire Greenwood, Seed Talk attendee
"There were so many moments when my daughters would look at me and mouth, 'This is me!' "
- Sarah West, Seed Talk attendee
"Dr Gemma Williams has been able to deliver the key messages from her work in a way that is engaging and can be ‘heard’. Student and stakeholder feedback has been excellent ('The talk from Gemma Williams was particularly interesting and I learned some useful information that will help in advocating for myself, my partner and my children in medical settings', 'I loved Gemma’s talk' ) and we look forward to continuing to work with Gemma."
- Dr Stepanie Daley, Associate Professor in Mental Health & Dementia, Time for Autism Lead, Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
Public science events
Public science events
I work with Seed Talks to deliver public science talks around the UK and online about Autism and Women, and The Science of Autistic Communication.
Autism and Women
Autism has historically been underdiagnosed in girls and women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB), leaving many to grow up without the support, understanding, or resources they need. Often facing unique challenges, they may mask their behaviours to fit in, leading to high rates of misdiagnosis and mental health struggles.
This talk is for all the nerdy girls, the loud and funny girls, the quiet gamer girls, the “Manic Pixie Dream Girls”, and all those who feel they don’t quite fit any label. In this inclusive talk, Dr Gemma Williams draws on the latest autism research and her own lived experience to shed light on what it means to be an autistic woman. girl, or AFAB person and why so many have flown under the radar.
Invited speaker events
Invited speaker events
I regularly speak at a range of events pitched for a diverse range of attendees: from NHS healthcare professionals, to therapists, to medical students and the general public...
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss a speaking engagement opportunity.
Previous keynote and invited speaker talks
Previous keynote and invited speaker talks
Supporting effective communication with autistic people in health care settings. Time For Autism conference, Brighton and Sussex Medical School. 9th January 2025 and 11th January 2024.
Understanding Others in a Neurodiverse World: a cognitive linguistics framework for misattunements between neurotypical and autistic people. Cognitive Science Centre of the University of Neuchâtel. 12th December 2024
Neurodivergent People’s Experience of Homelessness. ACoRNS Lab talks, University of Sussex. 24th October 2024.
Theory of (other) mind: (mis)understanding ‘others’ in a neurodiverse world. Therapist Neurodiversity Collective, USA (online), 29th September 2023.
From one Unwelt to another: ‘otherness’ and different embodied realities in cross-neurotype communication. Max Planck Institute for Animal Behaviour and the Cluster for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour at the University of Konstanz, Germany, 28th April 2023.
Communicating well with autistic people (in crisis situations): NHS Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) Refresher Training Day, University of Brighton, 25th April 2023 and 28th June 2022
Theory of autistic mind: A renewed relevance theoretic perspective on so-called autistic pragmatic ‘impairment’. Portsmouth University Autism Journal Club, 24th February 2023.
More than words: Supporting effective communication with autistic people in health care settings. NHS South East Reasonable Adjustments for Autistic People in Mental Health Settings – Best Practice Conference, 6th October 2022.
Double Empathy Problem and Neurodivergent Communication in Healthcare Settings. Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Children and Young People’s Service Neurodevelopmental Pathway Away Day, 21st September 2022
Cross-neurotype communication: the double empathy problem and relevance theory. Autistic Mutual Aid Society Edinburgh (AMASE) “Linguistic Autistics” event, online. 13 October 2022
Improving communication between autistic and non-autistic people in healthcare settings. NHS South East All Age Autism Steering Group. 24th March 2022.
Loneliness and Autism (with Dr. Lisa Quadt and Rachel Fricker). National Autistic Society Autism and Mental Health Conference 2022 (online), 10th March 2022.
How did you get here? South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership talk (to PhD students – online). 8th March 2022.
Accessibility and autistic people’s sensory needs: a whole town approach Autism Strategic Event, Blackpool Council Autism Partnership Board. February 21st 2022.
Loneliness, ethical loneliness, and loneliness distress in autistic adults (with Prof. Sarah Garfinkel) at the Tizard Centre / PARC Autism Journal Club (online), 2nd November 2021.
Creating a voice and evocative emancipation at the Interdisciplinary Autism Research Festival (online, due to Covid-19), University College London, 20th May 2021.
Relevance theory and the double empathy problem in cross-dispositional communication at British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL), Health and Science Communication SIG panel, 13th May 2021
Relevance, interest, affect and flow: mapping out concepts at Relevance Theory Monthly Online Research Forum, 24th February 2021
Other minds: Perspectives on (and in) autistic communication at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School 'Challenging Stereotypes: Novel Perspectives on Autism' symposium, University of Sussex, 20th July 2020.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse