Advisory panels

The Autism Centre of Excellence at Cambridge (ACE) listens to and works with the autism community via its Advisory panels, which are made up of autistic adults, parents/carers of autistic children (including children with a learning disability or who can’t advocate for themselves), clinicians, educators, employers and researchers.

A comprehensive survey of 400 autistic people and family members identified key areas of support required. The Advisory panels use this information to help select priority projects and partnerships, ensuring all activity is conducted in an autism-friendly way and is in line with the charity’s values – respecting the dignity and rights of autistic people while promoting inclusion and well-being.

The Advisory panels consist of:

• Steering group: autistic people and their families, as well as clinicians, educators, employers and researchers, who consult on all key aspects of our projects (meet bi-monthly online)
• Community advisory panel: autistic adults and parents/carers of autistic children, for broader consultation on various research and support services (emailed every 4-6 weeks depending on relevance of topic to the individual).
• Scientific and clinical panel: scientists and clinical, health and social care practitioners, who review our projects and ensure the principles  of the charity are upheld (contacted every 6-8 weeks depending on relevance of topic to the individual).