Date/Time
Date(s) - Wed 11 June
12:00 - 13:00
Dr Nick Bowden, University of Otago
In this presentation, Nick shares findings from the first national study of school attendance among autistic students in Aotearoa New Zealand, using linked data from over 650,000 students via StatsNZ’s Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI).
The study reveals that autistic students are significantly less likely to attend school regularly compared to their non-autistic peers, with the largest disparities seen among younger students. These absences were mostly reported as ‘justified’ – predominantly for medical reasons – highlighting the complex needs many autistic learners face.
Nick will explore the implications of these findings for education and health policy, and the need for inclusive, targeted supports that enable autistic students to effectively participate in school. The presentation also demonstrates how population-level data can identify gaps, inform investment, and drive system change.
Nick is a Senior Research Fellow with the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Otago. He is a quantitative social scientist specialising in child health research using linked population-level data. In particular, he is interested in the intersection between health and non‑health outcomes for children and young people with neurodevelopmental, mental health, and other chronic health conditions. Nick is passionate about research that can inform evidence-based policy and health delivery change to address inequities in Aotearoa New Zealand.
VHIN webinars run the second Wednesday of each month, 12–1PM. Details are posted on the website linked here each month, and you can specifically opt in to the mailing list by emailing vhin@otago.ac.nz.
Join the webinar at: https://tinyurl.com/VHIN-webinars.
As some agencies cannot use tinyurl links, the full link is: https://auckland.zoom.us/j/93684427709?pwd=Nkx4c25Ba1UyL0RIYWsrSU16SWlRdz09