4-Day Thematic Schedule
Introduction of ALFOC's Vision & Mission
Family Preparedness: Planning for Life Beyond the Primary Caregiver
Planning the Money: Building Financial Security for Lifelong Support
Finding the Right Fit: Comparing Assisted Living Models in India
Home, Community, or Assisted Living? What is Right for my Child?
The ALFOC Advantage: Common Challenges & Collective Solutions
Focus: Employment, supported work, meaningful engagement, recreation, community participation and lifelong occupation for autistic adolescents and adults across the support-needs spectrum.
| Time | Session | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 10:10 AM–10:40 AM | Keynote: Why Adult Engagement Matters: From Employability to Meaningful Adult Life |
Setting the context: the adult service cliff, unemployment, inactivity, isolation and the need to move beyond a child-centric autism ecosystem. Reframing success beyond competitive employment; dignity, choice, participation, productivity, belonging and quality of life. |
| 10:45 AM–11:15 AM | Session 1: The Employment Reality for Autistic Adults in India | Employer readiness, skill mismatch, workplace behaviour, disclosure, reasonable accommodation, retention, stigma, transportation and family concerns. Include employer + autistic employee + job coach + parent perspective. |
| 11.15 AM–11.30 AM | QnA | |
| 11:30 AM–12:00 PM | Session 2: Building a Vocational Pathway Across the Spectrum | Vocational profiling, strengths and interests, functional assessment, work-readiness, internships, supported employment, job carving, micro-enterprise and sheltered-to-open employment transition. |
| 12:05 PM–12:35 PM | Session 3: What About Those Who May Not Enter Competitive Employment? | Meaningful engagement for autistic adults with moderate and high support needs: structured activity, production units, creative work, community participation, recreation, sensory engagement and supported contribution. |
| 12:40 PM–1:10 PM | Session 4: Employer, Family and Service Provider — Who Supports Whom? | Clarifying responsibilities of employers, families, NGOs, professionals, government and job coaches; avoiding overprotection and token employment. |
| 1.10 PM–1.25 PM | QnA | |
| 1.30 PM–2.15 PM | Lunch Break | |
| 2.20 PM–3.00 PM | Panel Discussion: Nothing about Us, leaving Anyone of US | My journey to employment * What helped me succeed * Challenges at work * What employers should know * My dream workplace |
| 3:00 PM–3:40 PM | Panel Discussion: Employer Perspectives | The journey of Inclusive Workplaces * Hiring practices * Workplace accommodations * Career progression * Retention * Success stories |
| 3.40 PM–4.00 PM | QnA and Summarization | |
At the Cross-Roads: Gender, Sexuality and Neurodivergence: Presented by The Rainbow Room, Kolkata and BRIDGE India
| Time | Topic | Speaker | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10am–10:15am | Introduction of intent and need | Mahua Seth, The Rainbow Room | 10 mins |
| 10:15am – 11:15am |
Expert Speak: Understanding the intersection and overlaps of Neurodiversity, Gender, Sexuality and its Cultural Nuances a. Understanding from a medical standpoint b. Discussions on how diagnosis and response can differ in different geo-social and cultural context |
Wenn Lawson, Autistic Researcher and Psychologist and Aritra Chatterjee, Psychologist | 60 mins |
| 11:15am–11:30am | Tea Break | ||
| 11:30am–1pm |
Navigating the overlaps of Neurodiversity, Gender, Sexuality a. Sharing of experience by neuro - queer persons and families b. Understanding the challenges of identification, diagnosis and navigating this journey: medically, familial, school/institution and socially |
Meghna Kulkarni, Parent of Neuro-Queer Individual, Betsy Selvam, Researcher in Autism and NeuroQueering, Sampreeti Das, Academician and Mental Health Professional, Ruvena Sanyal, School Counsellor and Psychologist, Raj Mariwala, Director, MHI, Mahua Seth, Parent and Community Facilitator, Moderator | 90 mins |
| 1pm–2:00pm | Lunch Break | ||
| 2pm–2:15pm | Screening of a video/performance | ||
| 2:15pm–3:45pm |
Exploring desire and intimacy needs of non-typical non-heteronormative individuals a. Discussion on the desire and need for intimacy for this community, the language and understanding of the same b. Exploring and busting the myth and stigma around alternative intimacies, sexual experiences |
Shatabhisha Chatterjee, Moderator, Clinical Psychologist, Rit Prasanna, Neuro Queer Individual and Film Maker, Ishan Chakrabarty, Academician and Disability Activist, Pompi Banerjee, Psychologist and Sexual Rights Activist, Pixie Baruah, Queer Educator | 90 mins |
| 3:45pm–4:00pm | Open House and Charting the Way Forward | Prithviraj Nath, BRIDGE India & Mahua Seth, The Rainbow Room | |
Proposed Educational Focus:
A clinically oriented symposium examining how clinicians can distinguish autistic characteristics from co-occurring psychiatric disorders, formulate complex presentations, and avoid diagnostic overshadowing. The format deliberately prioritises discussion and clinical reasoning over conventional lectures.
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 12:00PM–12:10PM | Welcome & Introduction — Framing the central clinical question |
| 12:10PM–12:50PM | Is it Autism, Mental Illness—or Both? — Diagnostic formulation in complex autism |
| 12:50PM–01:30PM | Same Behaviour, Different Disorder — Autism, OCD and repetitive behaviour |
| 01:30PM–01:45PM | Tea/Coffee Break |
| 01:45PM–02:25PM | Challenging Behaviour: What Are We Actually Treating? — From behavioural description to formulation |
| 02:25PM–03:10PM | Interactive Case Discussion — Five difficult cases in autism; audience-led formulation |
| 03:10PM–03:20PM | Short Break |
| 03:20PM–03:55PM | Expert Clinical Q&A — Ask Mark Lovell: the difficult cases clinic; pre-submitted and live questions |
| 03:55PM–04:00PM | Closing Take-home Messages |
Short presentations will be built around clinical cases, video/assessment examples where appropriate, and audience questions. The emphasis will be on expert clinical reasoning rather than a comprehensive review of autism. Participants should leave with practical approaches to differential diagnosis, formulation and treatment.