UNDERSTANDING AUTISM | The Investigator

Understanding autism and neurodivergent victims, suspects and witnesses in investigations, 6 March 2025

A CPD event that raises awareness about autism and the unique needs of victims, suspects and witnesses with autism

Provides key best practice for investigators and analysts around how to communicate more effectively with victims, suspects and witnesses with autism

Aims to inform and educate and address some of the myths surrounding neurodivergent people

It will highlight barriers and challenges to effective communication and offer practical strategies and solutions that all investigators can use in their interactions with autistic people in their investigations

Best practice around identifying vulnerability and managing risk

Best practice and practical strategies around conducting an investigative interview with someone with autism in line with the Achieving Best Evidence guidance

We’ll also showcase new techniques for conducting effective investigative interview with people with autism that have been pioneered by Dr Katie Maras Associate Professor from the Centre for Applied Autism Research, University of Bath

We’ll hear from Tanja Conway Grim, an expert trainer and speaker who is autistic and who regularly went missing throughout her life. She will provide an insight into the link between autism and missing persons.

Held online via Teams

Certificates of CPD available.

A unique insight into the world of people with autism and best practice around how to communicate effectively with victims, suspects and witnesses in an investigation

The Investigator is delighted to present this important CPD event that aims to inform and educate investigators and analysts about autism.

We hope this valuable insight will help improve communication and address any myths and misconceptions around autism and autistic people.

The aim is to properly equip investigators and analysts with key skills to help them recognise if a person is autistic, how to communicate effectively and address their vulnerability.

We’ll look at how people with autism can experience the world in a variety of ways including a consideration of the key terms:

Sensory overload
Enhanced Perceptions
Importance of routines and patterns
Synaesthesia
Emotional processing

Autistic people may take longer to process emotions because of the amount of sensory information they need to process.

Understanding the perceptual differences of autistic people can help investigators and analysts support them in the criminal justice process.

Our speakers

Dr Katie Maras Associate Professor Centre for Applied Autism Research, University of Bath

Katie in an expert in neurodiversity and forensic psychology. She has undertaken innovative research that examines how autistic people fare when they are interviewed by the police as a witness or as a suspect of an alleged offence.
Findings from this work show that current police interviewing techniques do not elicit ‘best evidence’ from autistic individuals.
In response to this, Katie has developed new methods of questioning to obtain detailed, relevant and accurate information about an event from an autistic person in police interviews as well as in other areas including job interviews.
She is currently extending this work to courtroom questioning in a three-year ESRC-funded project, 'Measuring Special Measures'.
Katie works with a range of policy makers and organisations and collaborates closely with Avon and Somerset Police.

Tanja Conway Grim, autism expert and trainer who is autistic

Autism expert and trainer Tanja Conway Grim presents workshops and training across the world to police, law enforcement, the NHS and other public bodies to highlight and raise awareness of the challenges faced by victims, witnesses and suspects with autism.
Tanja was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum seven years ago and regularly went missing as a child and throughout her life and so has witnessed at first-hand how challenging it can be for the autistic victim and also investigators to communicate effectively.
Tanja will provide a unique insight into the mind of an autistic person and provide practical and easy to use best practice and strategies that investigators can use in an operational environment.
She will also share her experiences as a victim and explain previous interactions she has had with police and how she believes they could be improved.

Jude Brennan-Ward, Higher Intelligence Analyst and Neurodiversity Champion, Cambridgeshire Police

Jude is a highly committed and experienced senior analyst who has worked on many challenging investigations around human trafficking and modern slavery where identifying the diverse needs of vulnerable victims and witnesses has been pivotal to her work.
Jude is Neurodiversity Champion in her force and speaks candidly about her own journey. She will provide a unique and valuable insight into her own experiences and the experiences of the neurodiverse victims, witnesses and suspects she has met during her work in law enforcement.
Jude will also provide a snapshot into the thought processes and experiences of neurodiverse people to educate and inform investigators and analysts.

Further speakers to be announced shortly.

HOW TO BOOK

Cost: £189.99 + VAT (GBP) per delegate (LEA and Government Agency rate). £229.99 + VAT (Industry rate).

Group bookings: We offer various discounts for group bookings depending on numbers, please contact us for details.

Booking: Please send the delegates name(s), email address(es) and purchase order (made out to The Investigator) to booking@the-investigator.co.uk or telephone +44(0)844 660 8707 for further information.

Payment can be made by PayPal/debit/credit card (corporate card fees apply + 3%). The meeting link will be sent out 7 days before the event.