BrainWaves Living Well 2026 Speaker: NEURODIVERSITY – ADDRESSING BEHAVIOURS NOT LABELS

In this plenary, Dr Nicola Crossley (CEO, Liberty Academy Trust) will will use her extensive experience in educating young people with SEN to reflect on the increasing numbers of young people with neurodiversity in the classroom and the challenges that schools face in managing this growth.

Nic will be joined by Professor Sarah Bauermeister, who will provide supporting data about neurodiversity and loneliness from the BrainWaves Cohort Study, before Dr Bettina Hohnen (Clinical Psychologist & Honorary Senior Clinical Fellow, UCL) introduces a skills-based, practical approach to addressing neurodiversity in the classroom, centred on assessment of executive function.

About Nic

Dr Nic Crossley is the Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Academy Trust, a multi-academy trust of three special schools optimising education and specialist support for autistic children and young people.

With over 25 years of experience across primary, secondary, mainstream, and specialist education, Nic focuses her research and practice on mitigating educational underachievement for vulnerable learners, with a particular specialisation in Autism and Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH). Her career includes roles as a Consultant Principal, School Inspector, and leadership training designer.

Nic co-authored two prominent Routledge books on inclusion and actively shapes educational policy. She serves as an ASCL Council member, Vice Chair of the Ethics, Inclusion and Equalities Committee, and sits on the CST Policy Advisory Group. An Honorary Teaching Fellow at the University of Warwick, she holds dual Master’s degrees in Educational Leadership and Practice-Based Educational Research.