AUTISM VICTORIA
Autism Victoria (Australia) is the first place to call for information and advice for anyone interested in finding out more about Autism Spectrum Disorders, especially if you live in Victoria, Australia.
Parents
Discovering your child has an Autism Spectrum Disorder can be a stressful time. We have put the following steps together to help you navigate the service maze. More »
Professionals
Are you a professional working with a child or adult with an Autism Spectrum Disorder? If so there is a range of things you can do to ensure that you provide your client with an appropriate service. More »
People with Autism
One of the most significant developments in the Autism Spectrum Disorder field in the past twenty years has been the opportunity for people diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder to tell the rest of us what it means. More »
Interested in Autism (Students & Media)
Do you want some accurate information and comment for a news story? Are you a student seeking information for an assignment? More »
Become a Member of Autism Victoria
Membership is open to families, individuals, schools, service agencies, professionals - in fact anyone with an interest in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Become a Member now.
On Thursday the 21st of May 2009 the eagerly anticipated launch of the Autism State Plan took place at Alpha Autism.
The Minister for Mental Health, Community Services and Senior Victorians, the Honorable Lisa Neville spoke at length about the development of the plan and how the plan will drive the development of services for the next 10 years. The Minister also acknowledged the work of the Autism Victoria working party and in particular the efforts of Meredith Ward.
The Ministers speech was followed by an inspirational talk from Daniel Giles, a young man who has an Autism Spectrum Disorder but has refused to let this stop him from achieving great things in his life.
After Daniel had spoken the Deputy Chair of Autism Victoria, Ms Michele Carson, spoke on behalf of Autism Victoria. Michele acknowledged the work of Government and thanked the Minister for a range of initiatives, including the State plan, that will benefit families and individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
The final speaker was Meredith Ward who shared with the audience the journey of the State Plan and her insights into the partnership approach taken by Government and Autism Victoria. Meredith made particular note of the courage of Government to enter into a partnership. Her speech concluded with her son sharing a poem with the audience that he had written.
At the conclusion of this stage of the program the band Rudely Interrupted then entertained the audience with a number of songs.
From the Minister's speech through to Rudely Interrupted's performance the day was memorable both for the achievement of an Autism State Plan itself but also the presentations by the speakers.
Autism Victoria also wishes to acknowledge the great work done by DHS staff from the Strategic Projects Branch throughout this journey and Alpha Autism for hosting the event.
A detailed analysis of the Autism State Plan will be provided in the following weeks.
Please click here to download a copy of the plan.
$190 million for Autism Services
Federal Government Announcement October 3rd 2007
The Australian Advisory Board on Autism Spectrum Disorders has released a National
Call To Action - see here. Also see here for the AAB-ASD press release in response
to Prime Minister Howard's announcement.
The Autism Victoria InfoLine was launched by Mr John Leatherland, Regional Director, Eastern Metropolitan Region, Dept of Human Services. The infoline can be contacted on 1300 308 699 or by email. Copies of a brochure about the service are available on request from Autism Victoria.
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Website last updated 28th June 2010