Autism in Complex Presentations (online course)

£65.00 for 1 year

Autism in Complex Presentations provides a practical, evidence-based guide to the assessment and recognition of autism when accompanied by other neurodevelopmental or medical conditions. This self-paced online course features additional video contributions from the authors, reflective activities designed to encourage critical thinking about real-world assessment challenges, as well as multiple-choice questions to consolidate learning and test understanding.

Estimated duration of the course is 8-10 hours.

Team access is available for this course upon request. Please contact [email protected].

Autism does not always present in clear or typical ways, especially when accompanied by other neurodevelopmental or medical conditions. Autism in Complex Presentations brings together an international team of clinicians and researchers to provide a practical, evidence-based guide to the assessment and recognition of autism in such contexts. Building on the insights and frameworks presented in the book, this interactive online course has been developed to help professionals deepen their understanding and apply these concepts in practice. The course features video contributions from the authors, reflective activities designed to encourage critical thinking about real-world assessment challenges, as well as multiple-choice questions to consolidate learning and test understanding.

Through this engaging format, learners can explore the same key topics covered in the book — including demand avoidance, selective mutism, ADHD, epilepsy, and vision impairment — while actively applying principles to complex clinical scenarios. Each module integrates case-based reflections and lived experience insights from young people and families, helping bridge theory and practice in an accessible, learner-driven way.

This learning approach ensures that professionals not only gain up-to-date, evidence-based knowledge, but also develop the confidence and practical skills needed to recognize and assess autism in its most nuanced forms.

 

Designed for professionals working in paediatrics, psychiatry, psychology, neuropsychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, and education, this course offers guidance for those involved in recognizing and supporting autism across a wide range of clinical settings. While not specifically designed for families, its content may also be of interest to parents, carers, and individuals seeking a deeper understanding of autism in its more complex forms.

 

Course Overview

 

Author Podcast

Editors:

Professor Christopher Gillberg Senior Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, Glasgow, UK, and Kochi, Japan; Senior Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

Dr Elaine Clark Consultant Paediatrician, Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Abigail Mance Speech and Language Therapist, Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

 

Authors/Contributors:

Anne Addison Occupational Therapist, Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Penny Andreou Principal Clinical Psychologist, Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Kim Bates Speech and Language Therapist, Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Fionna Bathgate Specialist Paediatric Clinical Psychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH)

Miriam Bindman Principal Clinical Psychologist, Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Elaine Clark Consultant Paediatrician, Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Kate Cooper Clinical Psychologist, Associate Professor, and NIHR Advanced Fellow, Research Department of Clinical, Educational, & Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK; Clinical Psychologist and Honorary Reader, Centre for Applied Autism Research, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK

Pam Czerniewska Lead Clinician, Team for the Assessment of Autism and Social Communication (TAASC), Senior Speech & Language Therapist, Barnet Community Paediatric Services (Edgware), RoyalFree London NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Naomi Dale Consultant Clinical Psychologist/Neuropsychologist, Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK; Professor in Paediatric Neurodisability, Developmental Neurosciences, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK

Claire Davidson Research Associate, Speech and Language Therapist, Centre for Developmental Adversity and Resilience, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

Glòria Durà-Vilà Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Neurodevelopmental Service and Kings College London Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK

Elisabeth Fernell Neuropaediatrician, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

Hannah George Consultant Psychologist and Clinical Lead, National Deaf CAMHS (North), Manchester, Newcastle, and York, UK

Christopher Gillberg Senior Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, Glasgow, UK, and Kochi, Japan; Senior Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

Gillian Greville-Harris Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, University of Birmingham, Centre for Applied Psychology, Birmingham, UK

Laura Hull Elizabeth Blackwell Institute Early Career Fellow, Centre for Academic Mental Health, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

Meng-Chuan Lai Staff Psychiatrist and Senior Scientist, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health; Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Holan Liang Senior Clinical Research Associate and Honorary Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, The University of Cambridge and Northeast London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

Stephanie Love UAE Dubai Health Authority licensed Speech and Language Therapist, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Katrina Macleod Speech and Language Therapist, Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Abigail Mance Speech and Language Therapist, Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Will Mandy Professor of Neurodevelopmental Conditions, Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK

Helen Minnis Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Professor of Psychiatry, Centre for Developmental Adversity and Resilience, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

Jeremy Oliver Consultant Clinical Psychologist in Paediatrics, St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Associate Professor at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK

Maj-Britt Posserud Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

Hanna Richardson Consultant in Paediatric Neurodisability, Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Steve Rose Speech Therapist and Deafblind Consultant, Independent Practice. Brighton, UK; Speech Pathologist, Vision Australia/ Able Australia, Melbourne, Australia

Alison Salt Associate Professor, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK; Consultant Paediatrician, Department of Paediatric Rehabilitation, Perth Children’s Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Georgina Salzke-Spurr Occupational Therapist, Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Jenefer Sargent Consultant Paediatrician, Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Francesca Sawer Clinical Psychologist, Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Lucy Sawyer Principal Clinical Psychologist, Psychological and Mental Health Services, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Kathryn Stevenson Salomons Institute of Applied Psychology, Royal Tunbridge Wells, UK

Inyang Takon Consultant Paediatrician, East and North Herts NHS Trust, Stevenage, UK

Fiona Turner Health Psychologist and Lecturer, Centre for Developmental Adversity and Resilience, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

Anna I R van der Miesen Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Location Vrije Universiteit, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Simon Wilkinson Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Psychological and Mental Health Services, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK, London, UK

Emma Willmott Senior Clinical Psychologist, ARFID Service, Maudsley Centre for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders (MCCAED), South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; Complex Feeding Clinic, Paediatric Neurosciences, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

Author Appointments

Foreword

Preface

1 Autism in the General Population
Maj-Britt Posserud and Christopher Gillberg

2 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism
Penny Andreou and Inyang Takon

3 Anxiety and Autism
Miriam Bindman, Jeremy Oliver, and Christopher Gillberg

4 Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and Autism
Gillian Greville-Harris, Georgina Salzke-Spurr, and Emma Willmott

5 Demand Avoidance and Autism
Glòria Durà-Vilà

6 Selective Mutism and Autism
Kathryn Stevenson and Stephanie Love

7 Language Disorder and Autism
Pam Czerniewska and Abigail Mance

8 Intellectual Disability and Autism
Elisabeth Fernell, Elaine Clark, and Christopher Gillberg

9 Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Autism
Hannah George, Steve Rose, and Fionna Bathgate

10 Vision Impairment and Autism
Naomi Dale, Alison Salt, and Elaine Clark

11 Cerebral Palsy and Autism
Anne Addison, Kim Bates, Katrina Macleod, and Jenefer Sargent

12 Epilepsy and Autism
Hanna Richardson and Francesca Sawer

13 Tic Disorders and Autism
Holan Liang

14 Girls, Women, and Autism
Laura Hull and Will Mandy

15 Gender Diversity and Autism
Kate Cooper, Anna I R van der Miesen, and Meng-Chuan Lai

16 Maltreatment and Autism
Simon Wilkinson, Lucy Sawyer, Claire Davidson-Jamieson, Fiona Turner,
and Helen Minnis

You will be given a Mac Keith Press account upon purchase and you will be able to access the online course of Autism in Complex Presentations (online course) from your ‘My Account’ page after successfully logging into our website. Access will be for 12 months and estimated duration of the course is 8-10 hours. 

This online resource is designed to help professionals who work in:

  • paediatrics
  • psychiatry
  • psychology
  • neuropsychology
  • speech and language therapy
  • occupational therapy
  • nursing
  • education

While not specifically written for families, its content may also be of interest to parents, carers, and individuals seeking a deeper understanding of autism in its more complex forms.