AN evening of Bollywood dancing will be hosted at the University of Hertfordshire this week in aid of children with autism in India.

Psychology researcher Shivani Sharma is inviting people to the charity workshop on Wednesday, December 16.

The proceeds will go to Action for Autism (AFA), a non-profit organisation based in India, which is dedicated to improving public awareness of and services for children and adults affected by autism.

Inspiration for the dance workshop came from Shivani's PhD in which she interviewed a young South Asian adult about her experience of coping with autism in her community – which pointed the student towards some interesting issues on the disability.

Shivani said: “This led me to approach AFA with the hope that over the coming year we will be able to collaborate on a research project involving South Asian parents.

“I hope the findings of this research will tell us more about how to support families from minority groups within the UK, who have so far proven very difficult to reach.

“We hope that the Bollywood evening will be fun but also raise the profile of this important challenge.”

The Bollywood Dance and Improvision Workshop will take place in the Chapman Lounge, College Lane Campus, between 5.30pm and 6.45pm. To book a space you can contact Shivani at s.3.sharma@herts.ac.uk.