Voices on Autism in Later Life
Book ticketsOrganised by:
Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in the Public Sector
Description
Join us as we explore autism in later life. We will reflect on ageing, late diagnosis and the long term impact of historically unmet needs, alongside gaps in understanding neurodivergence in older adulthood.
Together we will consider identity, inner worlds, trauma, relationships and meaning making across the lifespan.
Acknowledging how autism has been historically misinterpreted within psychoanalysis and pathologised across disciplines, we will explore ethical, neuro-affirming ways of thinking about, with, and responding to older autistic adults in ways that genuinely meet their needs.
Panel of Speakers
Rose Matthews (they/them) is an autistic independent researcher, writer and former social work academic specialising in autism in adulthood and later life. Their work focuses on under researched areas including ageing, retirement and late diagnosis for autistic adults. Rose has published widely in peer‑reviewed journals and brings together academic expertise and lived experience to influence policy and support for older autistic people.
Dr Shevonne Matheiken is a neurodivergent Consultant Psychiatrist with specialist interests in older adults and neurodiversity. Her work includes addressing knowledge gaps in ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence in later life. Her paper, Adult ADHD: Time for a Rethink, was awarded BJPsych Advances Editor’s Choice in 2024 and was BJPsych Advances most downloaded paper in 2025.
Dr Louise Rutter is a Clinical Psychologist and is a leading voice in autism and ageing. She co-led an Autism and Later Life Workstream, which was part of the British Psychological Society’s Faculty of the Psychology of Older People and is co‑author of evidence submitted to the House of Lords informing Time to Deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the New Autism Strategy. She leads an autism in later life pathway in her NHS trust and has written extensively on the psychological needs of older autistic adults.
Tracy Davies‑Fletcher is a consultant clinical psychologist, a neuro-affirming trauma-informed clinician and co‑author of the thought provoking paper Sitting with Invisible Difference: Psychoanalytics and Autism published last year in the British Journal of Psychotherapy. Her work integrates neurodevelopmental science with psychoanalytic practice, key working, and challenges the over‑psychologisation of autistic experience in therapeutic settings. Tracy frames neurodiversity affirming practice as both a clinical necessity and an ethical responsibility.
Panel Chair
Dr Funmi Deinde
Consultant Older Adult Psychiatrist, Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) Practitioner and Chair of the Older Adult Section, APPPS
