We are delighted to host Australia’s first-ever national event focused solely on profound autism.

The Profound Autism Symposium 2025 is a landmark event, placing the voices of families and needs of people with profound autism on the national stage for the very first time.

Many profoundly autistic people are non-speaking or minimally verbal. Most have the co-occurring effects of intellectual disability and complex health conditions. Daily life often includes a range of behaviours of distress and safety risks. Consequently, diligent, comprehensive, person-led, 24/7 care is required each and every day, week, month and year of their lives for as long as they live.

Recognising profound autism means holding space for the whole spectrum. All the moments of happiness, connection, and success, and the painful realities of medical emergencies, aggressive behaviours, or lifelong dependence. It is only by acknowledging this complexity that we can build systems that truly work.

Join us on 17 and 18 November in person at the State Library of NSW or via Livestream, as we convene world-class expertise, lived experience voices, and practical solution-building in a mix of presentation and discussion panels across:

• Profound autism’s place in the broader autism community
• Advocacy, rights, and the NDIS reforms
• Post-school transitions and adulthood pathways
• Housing, supported living, and long-term care
• Legal and estate planning for families
• Family stories and lived experience
• Carer wellbeing and mental health

Whether you are a parent or caregiver, a family member, clinician, educator, service provider, or policymaker, we invite you to be part of this history-making event designed to put profound autism back on the national agenda.