Professor Margot Prior (1937-2020) published the very first Australian journal article on autism (in 1973), and was a pioneering autism clinician and researcher in Australia. She was also deeply involved in the creation of the Australasian Society for Autism Research (ASfAR). In recognition of her substantial contributions to the field of autism research in Australia and internationally, she was awarded a lifetime membership to ASfAR upon its creation, with a dedicated Margot Prior Oral Presentation Prize for students awarded at each biennial Conference. Following Professor Prior’s passing in ..read more

INSAR 2024: May 15 – 18, 2024 Abstract submissions for the 2024 Annual Meeting are scheduled to open in September 2023 ..read more

ASfAR warmly invites you to our 2023 conference which will be held in person on the 6th and 7th December 2023 hosted by the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Dates Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th December 2023 Venue University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand See https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/  Registration FREE for ASfAR members (to join ASfAR or to renew your membership please go to https://asfar.org.au/membership/ ) Keynote & Invited Speakers TBC Submission of Abstracts Submission of Abstracts will open soon and abstracts will be due around mid July 202 ..read more

Upon Professor Margot Prior’s passing, the ASfAR Executive Committee established two competitive awards each valued at $2,500 for Early Career Researchers (ECR), with one dedicated each year to an autistic researcher.  In 2022, the winners were: – AUTISTIC RESEARCHER MARGOT PRIOR AWARD: Dr Chris Edwards from Aspect Research Centre for Autism Practice for their project “Using Experience Sampling Methodology to Capture Disclosure Reflections from Autistic Adults”. Congratulations Chris!  – In the OPEN CATEGORY MARGOT PRIOR AWARD : Dr. Katie Brooker from the Queensland Centre for Intell ..read more

Professor Alison Lane Keynote: Professor Alison Lane is an occupational therapist with over 25 years of experience in paediatric clinical practice and health service management. She has undertaken research and teaching in both Australia and the United States, with a strong focus on autism and sensory processing. Alison has led seminal papers describing the first sensory subtype models in autism and was the recipient of the prestigious A. Jean Ayres award from the American Occupational Therapy Association for her contributions to the development of theory in autis ..read more

ASfAR warmly invites you to our 2022 conference which will be held in person on the 28th and 29th November 2022 hosted by Deakin University at the Deakin Waterfront Campus in Geelong, Victoria. Dates Monday 28th and Tuesday 29th November 2022 Venue In person conference at Deakin Waterfront Campus, Geelong, Victoria See https://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/locations/campuses/geelong-waterfront Registration FREE for ASfAR members To join ASfAR or to renew your membership please go to asfar.org.au/membership Keynote & Invited Speakers Professor Alison Lane, Deputy Director of the Olga Ten ..read more

We have lost a pioneer in autism research and beyond. Professor Prior was deeply involved in the creation of the Australasian Society for Autism Research, and it is in recognition of her that we have the Margot Prior Oral Presentation Prize. Below, is an Obituary written on her passing where you can read about her extraordinary achievements. Margot was the best of us. She was a life affirming humanist, artist, environmentalist and scholar. She was a mentor to many and a much-loved friend. But at the heart of it she was a deeply passionate member of a large and brilliant family who sustained he ..read more

ASfAR Institute 2020: Intersectionality is a framework for understanding how aspects of the identity of a person or group of people may combine to create discrimination, disadvantage or prejudice. This webinar series will explore the research and knowledge around autism and its intersection with personal, social and cultural systems or factors. This webinar series takes place via Zoom on Wednesdays across August and September 2020. The live sessions of the ASfAR 2020 Institute are free for ASfAR members to attend but preregistration is required. Where possible, sessions will be recorded and a ..read more

State-based Conference 2019 Expressions of Interest are now open for hosting 2019 State-based Australasian Society for Autism Research Conferences. A maximum of two meetings will be supported in a given year (with up to $2500 in funds provided by ASfAR subject to approval from the Executive Committee). Where there are several EOIs in a given year, priority will be given to: (1) strong institutional support, (2) ability to host a keynote speaker (national or international), and (3) conference facilities. For further information, please see the EOI Form (click to op ..read more

ASfAR is pleased to announce that our Vice President Professor Cheryl Dissanayake will be the Regional Lead of the Western Pacific region on a new Global Senior Leaders Committee initiative by INSAR (International Society for Autism Research), which aims to ensure that all regions/ countries in the world are represented in INSAR by a senior autism researcher/ clinician ..read more