05/02/2026
| “The most meaningful aspect of my role as a Peer Researcher with the Westmead Feelings Program team is amplifying the voices of autistic children, young people, and carers in shaping research. In this role, I draw on my lived and professional experience as an autistic clinician, carer, and consumer to help shape the team's research.
There is no typical day! Much of my work involves advising on accessibility, neurodiversity-affirming practice, and co-design so that the program materials better reflect the needs and perspectives of autistic children and their families. I value bringing lived experience to conversations where it has often been missing, and increasing awareness of the research questions and priorities that matter to our community.
I was drawn to paediatrics by the incredible impact my own children’s therapists have had on their quality of life, well-being, and development. Seeing the difference the right support can make for a child and their family motivates me to contribute to this work.
I recently presented at the Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2025, an international event and the largest audience I have spoken to so far! Having the opportunity to share the progress that is being made in public health research and the benefits of autistic leadership was a moment I felt proud of.
I hope that, in the future, roles like mine become standard across health services, so that people with lived experience are not only involved in shaping the research and services that affect their lives but also leading them” – Frances McCafferty, Peer Researcher and Occupational Therapist, Westmead Feelings Program, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
