Twilight Talk: An introduction to synaesthesia, its co-occurrence with autism and its effect on sensory processing, learning and understanding.

Webcasts
03 Oct 2025

Twilight Talks

This session will explore synaesthesia, an unusual cognitive processing condition that causes a crossover of sensory inputs and responses. In parallel to the sensory crossovers, synaesthesia is also characterised by abstract-conceptual visualisations that begin to manifest during the early years teaching period and which can play a key role in learning and understanding.

Anyone can have synaesthesia, but recent research has found it to be four to five times more common in people who are autistic - some synaesthetic responses can even provide a mechanism to help explain why certain autistic traits manifest as they do.

The presentation is aimed at teaching staff, SEN professionals and parents to provide an introduction to synaesthesia, explain many of its various manifestations and describe how the condition might present in a classroom setting and the ways in which it could impact on behaviour and learning, both positively and negatively.

Once you have finished watching this recording please do complete our short evaluation.

You can read more about our Twilight Talks sessions on our dedicated page.

Suitable for: A parent/carer, Administration Staff, Administrator, Assistant Head Teacher, Assistant Headteacher, Consultant, Deputy Head Teacher, Early Years Practitioner, Education psychologist, Governor, Head Teacher, Inclusion Manager/Leader, Newly Qualified Teacher, SENCO, Senior Leader, Student, Support staff, Teacher, Teaching Assistant, Tutor, Young person, Other

Complete our short evaluation

Meet your trainer - Tim Dickson

Tim Dickson is a journalist whose perception and understanding of the world has been shaped by synaesthesia. Later in life he was also diagnosed as autistic, but what really opened his eyes was that several issues he had spent a lifetime interpreting through synaesthetic prism in fact turned out to be key identifiers of the autistic condition. Since then he has been working with schools and other academic bodies to raise awareness of synaesthesia and its co-occurrence with autism in the hope it might help to better serve the needs of children who process and learn about the world in a slightly different way.

SEND CPD on Demand Content Guide

Webcasts
31 Dec 2025

Free

Webcast

Webinar

We’ve designed this subscription with the entire education sector in mind, but to help make your decision, about what content to access first, we have created a content guide.

View resource

Early Years SEND Review Guide

General
24 Oct 2025

Free

early years

SEND Review

WSS Review Guide

The Early Years SEND Review Guide was developed for Early Years practitioners and reviewers, to support the review and development of inclusive provision and practice.

View resource

Inclusive Leadership and Management in Schools

Webcasts
23 Oct 2025

Free

Universal SEND Services

This engaging and practical webinar explores the crucial relationship between inclusion and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) within schools.

View resource