Profile, Dr Luke Beardon 

 

I have been working for decades in the autism field, in capacities ranging from practitioner to researcher to trainer, first working with autistic children as a volunteer aged fourteen. I worked for The National Autistic Society (NAS) as a co-ordinating the development of a residential service for young autistic adults. I worked within this service supporting young adults with a range of complex needs, from those with high dependency needs and severe learning disability, to autistic individuals accessing Higher Education; prior to this I worked in the voluntary sector in the learning disability field. I went on to hold three additional posts at the NAS working with Local Authorities developing provision and support culminating with being Head of Training and Consultancy before moving to Sheffield Hallam University. 

 

I co-wrote the ASPECT consultancy report (2007), the largest UK consultation with autistic adults undertaken at the time; I am co-editor of five books on autism published by Jessica Kingsley, and am sole author of an additional seven books: ‘Autism in Adults’ (2017); ‘Autism in Childhood’ (2019); ‘Avoiding Anxiety in Autistic Children’ (2020); ‘Avoiding Anxiety in Autistic Adults’ (2021); ‘What Works for Autistic Children’ (2022); ‘What Works for Autistic Adults’ (2023); and ‘Reasonable Adjustments for Autistic Children’ (2024) and have several other publications in journals and books. 

 

I have run a Project developing autism services within a specific Local Authority, been involved in the setting up and running of two autism Social Groups and have also been employed by the NAS as Regional Development Officer co-ordinating developments over a large geographical area. This has given me the background experience to work at a strategic level within Local Authorities to develop good practice in the field of autism. The Project included the development of diagnostic services, day provision, residential provision, and transition services. 

 

I have been part of a research team at Nottingham University running a three-year project and have several publications in National and International journals related to the project. I completed my Doctoral thesis at Sheffield Hallam University which was around understanding autistic individuals who had been involved in the Criminal Justice System which subsequently led me to being an expert witness for several years providing reports to court. 

 

I have provided consultancy around how to work with and support autistic individuals, organisational consultancy, and consultancy to Local Authorities and National bodies, and have spoken at numerous National and International conferences on a variety of autism related topics. I have also addressed parliament in Westminster and the United Nations in New York. 

 

My most recent post is with Sheffield Hallam University, as Senior Lecturer in autism. I run courses at different academic levels in autism and am the Course Leader for the Post Graduate Certificate in Autism, while continuing to research in the field. I supervise several students at Doctoral level, most of whom are autistic. I am proud of the several autistic (ex) students who successfully completed their Doctorates under my supervision. 

 

Every year the student survey has run I have been nominated as either an Inspirational Teacher, Inspirational Research Supervisor, or both. In 2011 I was awarded the Inspirational Teacher Award. In 2012 I was awarded the Inspirational Research Supervisor Award. In 2018 I was awarded my third Inspirational Award and in recognition was presented the Sheffield Hallam Vice-Chancellor Award. In 2021, and again in 2022 I was awarded additional Inspirational Teacher Awards. In 2015 I was a finalist for the prestigious National Autistic Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award for a Professional. In 2016 I was the winner at the National Autistic Society’s Autism Professionals Awards for Achievement by an Individual Educational Professional. In 2016 I was nominated and reached the finals for the Autism Hero Awards run by Anna Kennedy Online in two categories: Lifetime Achievement, and Individual Professional – and won both categories. In 2021 I was awarded the Sparkle Sheffield Award for Lifetime Achievement in Autism. I have several media appearances, including BBC TV and Radio 4, The Guardian, The Independent – and an article on me appeared in the Times celebrating my achievements. My Blog was voted second best in the award winning Aukids magazine in their list of ten top all-time favourite autism Blogs.  

 

My interests are anything related to autism, pretty much to the exclusion of everything else.