Minister visits Autism CRC – work begins on National Strategy

We welcomed the Hon. Amanda Rishworth MP, Minister for Social Services, to Brisbane this month, as the Government commences the important task of developing a National Autism Strategy. The Minister joined an afternoon tea at Long Pocket in Indooroopilly, Brisbane, attended by over 50 people and families from the autistic community, service providers, research, employment, education, Autism CRC Board and staff.

Autism CRC is very pleased to be working with the government and the autism stakeholder community in the development of that Strategy – a strategy to be founded in evidence and formulated through co-design. For the first time, Australia will see a coordinated national approach to better services, supports and outcomes for autistic Australians, their families and carers throughout life’s journey.

The Guideline Development Group, who wrote the Supporting Autistic Children Guideline, and the Hon. Justine Elliot. Justine Elliot holds a copy of the Guideline.

Parliament house launch for Supporting Autistic Children Guideline

We are excited to announce the release of the National Guideline for supporting the learning, participation, and wellbeing of autistic children and their families.

The Guideline provides clear and consistent Recommendations and Practice Points for practitioners who deliver supports to autistic children and their families. It focuses on the delivery of non-pharmacological supports in community and clinical settings that aim to support children aged 0-12 years. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has approved all 84 Consensus-Based Recommendations within the Guideline.

The Hon. Justine Elliot MP, Assistant Minister for Social Services, launched the Guideline at Australian Parliament House on 16 February. The event was attended by members of the Canberra autistic community, parliamentarians, members of the Guideline Development Group, researchers, clinical and education professionals and service providers.

Autism@Work Virtual Summit. Tagline: Building capability. 22-23 March 2023.

Register now!

The second Autism@Work Virtual Australia Summit will be held from 22-23 March 2023. Attendees to this virtual event will hear from high profile local and international speakers, including employers, autistic employees and advocates, community organisations, educational institutions, service providers and researchers about Building Capability for employees and employers alike.

Delegates are expected from a range of sectors including large corporations, small business owners, start-ups, state and federal government departments, local councils, universities and TAFEs. Registration is free, and autistic adults and their supporters are encouraged to attend the event.

Find out more

Can you help?

We’re conducting a research project into the educational needs of school-aged autistic students.

We are looking for teachers and allied health professionals who work with school-aged autistic children to participate. We also want to hear from parents/caregivers, autistic adolescents (aged 11-18 years) and their siblings (11+ years).

You will be invited to complete a 30-minute online survey and/or online interview on the educational strengths, needs and supports for autistic students.

Find out more and access the surveys through the links below.

Teachers & allied health professionals

Parents, adolescents, siblings

Welcome new members!

We were overwhelmed by a record-breaking 200 expressions of interest for membership of the 2023 Australasian Autism Research Council (AARC). Interest came from all across Australia and applicants represented a rich and diverse range of experience, perspectives and expertise.

We are pleased to welcome new members Jessica Harrison, Adam Howie, Grant South and Timothy Watson to the AARC, and congratulate this year’s AARC Co-chairs, Dr Bec Poulsen and Professor Charlotte Brownlow.

A teacher and a group of students looking at a tablet computer

inclusionED webinar series

inclusionED has been hosting ‘The Inclusive Classroom’ webinar series in Term 1. The team has already covered the important topics of anxiety, neurodiversity, sensory needs and foundation practices for early career teachers. Recordings of past webinars with closed captions are available on the inclusionED site.

There’s still time to join us for our final webinar, Positively engaging families, on March 8th.

View recordings

inclusionED: Supporting Diverse Learners

inclusionED website revamp

Don’t forget to check out the latest features on inclusionED. After receiving feedback from teachers, the inclusionED team is proud to announce several updates to the site including:

improved user functionality
improved homepage layout
enhanced practice categorisation
simplified goal setting functionality and more.

Go on inclusionED

New Deputy Chair

Katharine Annear has become the new Deputy Chair of the Autism CRC Board. Katharine has been a member of the Autism CRC Board since July 2021.

Katharine takes on the role following the retirement of Carole Green from the Board at the 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) – Carole having served on the Board from 2013. Paul Field also retired from the Board at the AGM, having first joined the Board in 2013 also.

We thank Carol and Paul for their years of service, and welcome Katharine in this new role.

Reports

Publications

Resources

Short course for clinicians - enrol now!

Whether you’re looking to implement the National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism within your clinical practice for the first time, or wanting to improve your implementation of Australia’s best-practice Guideline, Autism CRC’s short course can help you.

Open to all clinical professionals supporting individuals and families through autism assessments and diagnosis, the course is currently being offered through Speech Pathology Australia and is open to members and non-members.