News from Autism Victoria

Autism Victoria Annual General Meeting

I am delighted to report to the eSpectrum readers that we recently held a very vibrant and passionate Annual General Meeting on Monday the 17th of November, 2008.

The meeting began with a traditional welcome by the President Ms. Mary Thomson and the receiving of reports from the Treasurer, CEO and President. The auditor for the next year was also nominated and agreed to by the members present.

The meeting then welcomed the Hon. Bill Shorten, Parliamentary Secretary for Disability and Children’s Services who spoke about his growing awareness and understanding of the challenges facing families with a family member with a disability.  Bill‘s talk was followed by the opportunity for people present to ask questions and make comments about the federal initiatives and the need for greater investment in Disability services including supports to families with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

After the talk by Bill the members were then asked to consider the proposal to amend the current “Rules of the Association” which were proposing the disbanding of the State Council and Executive Committee and replacing this two tiered governance structure with a nine member Board of Governance.  After much passionate and well thought out debate the motion to amend the rules was put to the members who voted overwhelmingly to adopt the new rules.

This then led to the election of nine people to the new Board of Governance and it is with much pleasure that I wish to advise the readership of the Board members who will form the Governance body of Autism Victoria into the 2009 year and beyond.

In no particular order the successful candidates for election to the Board are:

1. Judy Hacker
2. Anne Mustow
3. Michelle Carson
4. Graeme Wickenden
5. Dennis Crowley
6. Prof. Bruce Tonge
7. Mary Thomson
8. Steve Dartnell
9. Peter Heard

On behalf of Autism Victoria I would also like to extend our thanks to the unsuccessful candidates.

Autism Victoria is about to enter into an exciting and challenging period and I wish all Board members the best of good wishes.

Murray Dawson-Smith

Murray Dawson-Smith's presentation at the Annual General Meeting

I will not be providing a report about the past year as I do not think that I can do it justice given I arrived in the position of CEO after the year had ended and I feel Mary will capture the year far better than I could.

I am delighted however to have this opportunity to share with you my thoughts about the possibilities and opportunities for Autism Victoria in both the short and longer term.

We have been successful in receiving the funding for the Autism Advisor program and in the past 3 weeks we have received over 250 calls from families.

In the first instance we are aiming to meet with all the families who have children approaching 6 years of age expressly to enable them to access at least some of the funding from the Helping Children with Autism program.

The program has also led to the employment of 6 new staff and to ensure they all have somewhere to work we are currently proposing a move to Carlton where we will have much larger premises.

On top of this funding we are also part of the successful tender for the National workshops program and this will potentially lead to the employment of up to a further 3 staff.

Further adding to the urgency to relocate I have also submitted an application for increased funding for the Information and Advice service and if successful we would expect to employ a further 2 staff.

As this is proceeding we are also patiently waiting on the outcomes of the Autism State Plan which we believe may also create additional opportunities and staff positions for Autism Victoria.

I have shared these developments with you not so much to celebrate our growth, although this is a legitimate celebration, but rather to highlight that with these additional staff comes new opportunities for Autism Victoria to grow the range and extent of services we currently provide.

I would expect over the next 3 years to grow our membership from 2,000 to 8,000 for 2 key goals:

1. To create the political power necessary to ensure State funding to address long standing needs is met.
   
2. To increase membership will ensure our reliance on State Govt. is reduced, member services can be substantially increased and essential new services such as a Statewide respite service can be established.

I am also aiming to develop a range of business proposals for Autism Victoria again to spread our income across a range of income generating sources and to create employment opportunities and increased member services.

The next 3 years will be a time of immense opportunity for Autism Victoria and it will be critical that all members of the organisation work together to achieve the goals we set.  This is our time in the spotlight and it would be a great shame if Autism Victoria did not seize all the opportunities available to it to grow.

This is also the time when we must work together to promote the demands of the State plan and over the next few weeks Autism Victoria will be forwarding to all members a strategy for encouraging and reminding State government that the whole of the ASD community is relying on State Government to deliver significant results from the Autism State Plan.

I would like to finish this address by publicly thanking the members of the Executive Committee and in particular the President, Mary Thomson, for their support and assistance since I arrived.  I would also like to publicly thank the State Council members who have made their time available to meet with me and assist in the growth of my knowledge on Autism Spectrum Disorders and the needs of families.

I would also like to acknowledge the great work performed by Meredith Ward and the Autism State Plan working group.  It is never easy working with Government and the development of the State plan is no exception.  That so much was achieved is due in no small part to the hard work and commitment of all involved and particularly Meredith.

Finally, can I publicly thank the staff of Autism Victoria.  In the short period that I have been with Autism Victoria I have been overwhelmed by the effort, hard work and commitment by staff to the families and individuals that contact the office.  Given that until very recently Autism Victoria has been an office with effectively 4.4 full time staff it is truly remarkable what they have managed to achieve.

Staff Movement

Introducing the new Autism Victoria Family Counsellor – Sofia Neves

Autism Victoria has a new part time family counsellor, Sofia. She is available on Mondays and Wednesdays. The aim of the family counsellor service is to provide emotional and practical support specifically related to caring for a person who has an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Sofia can be contacted by phone or email to discuss how this service may help you.

Saying Good Bye to the Information and Support Officer – Elen Thomas

I will be leaving Autism Victoria after Christmas this year to prepare for my return home to New Zealand to start my Occupational Therapist Degree. I have enjoyed my time at Autism Victoria working amongst such a dedicated, hard working, small team. Now with the new funding, the team has grown, but the passion and commitment has not been diluted in the process. I wish Autism Victoria all the best for the future as it grows, and of course, I wish all the families and individuals in Victoria the very best.

Autism Advisor Program and the Helping Children with Autism Initiative

Autism Victoria is pleased to announce that it has been chosen to deliver the Autism Advisor Program, which is part of the Federal Government’s, ‘Helping Children with Autism Package’. For further information go to the FaHSCIA website.

I would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the team which consists  of myself, Louise, as the Team Leader and our 5 advisors, Kym, Caille, Emma, Julie and Eliza.

As a team, we bring a breadth of international Autism specific experience, both practical and theoretical, including clinical diagnosis, early education, psychology, behaviour management, adult service development, respite management, parenting and more besides.

Combined, the team has over 40 years worth of A.S.D. specific experience both personally and professionally.

As advisors we can help families and carers of children aged 0-6 years who are diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.  We can do this in a number of ways;

• by providing information and guidance on how to access the Early Intervention Funding Package of up to $12,000 over two years.
• by providing information on how to access the other elements to the Helping children with Autism package.
• by providing information on new and existing local and regional support services.

An eligible child must;

• have a definitive ASD diagnosis as per DSM IV,
• must be 0-6 years,
• must not yet be in full time compulsory schooling,
• must meet Australia’s residential requirements for Carers Allowance.

The funding can only be used to pay for identified therapy with an approved provider. Click here for the provider panel details for Victoria.

For more information or to speak with an advisor, please ring on 03 9885 0533 (option 4) or email the Team Leader.

Autism Spectrum Disorder 2008 Research Forum - 6th November

The research forum was held at the Darebin Arts & Entertainment Centre in Preston. There is some exciting Autism research happening in Victoria, some of which were presented at the forum,  including research into Investigating the Female Profile of Autism;  Language skills, and the repair process in the conversation of high functioning children with autism and typically developing children; Social skills and executive functions in preschool children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder; The Behaviour of Preschool Children in the Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Impact of Parental Well-being, Competence, and Social Supports; as well as some interesting findings from the research into Life Transition Problems: Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorders. There was also international research presented on the Weak central coherence and social preferences in parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in India and the UK, and some pilot data was presented that indicates that the aromatase knockout (ArKO, an estrogen-deficient model) mouse has behavioural phenotypes consistent with the spectrum of autistic symptoms. 

All in all it was a fantastic day, attended by around 80 people. If you missed the forum and would like a copy of the Proceedings, current research or perhaps you would like to take part in some research yourself, go to our website.

Autistic Family Support Association - The Autism State Plan Consultation Summary by Meredith Ward, President

The Consultation Summary’s consistent themes were evident after careful analysis of the feedback from forums and written responses. As an attendee of about half of the 23 forums Meredith can verify these themes.

Overwhelmingly the top issue and therefore priority for this Government is around education issues such as the need to address the lack of access to support at Government and Non-Government schools especially for those with High Functioning Autism and Aspergers. Those with an ASD and no accompanying Intellectual Disability who are deemed ineligible under the Disability Act 2006, to access services closely followed this.

Her summary of the issues and the solutions offered by the Autism Community, which are supported by extracts, found in the Consultation Summary. Meredith can be contacted on  03 9885 or via email

Click here for the Autism State Plan Consultation Summary.

Resources

Information for Couples

We know that information is hard to find for spouses who’s partner has an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The good news is as awareness of Aspergers Syndrome grows, so does the amount of resources available. Maxine Aston, a U.K based counsellor who has taken a special interest in supporting partners, has just released a new book ‘The Asperger’s Couple Workbook’.

This book, along with Maxine’s other books, is a great leap forward for supporting partners and spouses who may be having difficulty understanding their partner, or working on the relationship. You can look at Maxine’s work on her website.

In Memory of Marc Segar

Marc Segar died tragically in a traffic accident on the M1 towards the end of 1997. His short life was deeply influential, and this book is his memorial. Download a free copy of his book 'Coping: A Survival Guide for People with Asperger Syndrome'.

Events and Service Programs

Have you bookmarked the Autism Victoria Events page in your Favourites?

The Autism Victoria Events Calendar is one of the most visited sections of our web site, and details of forthcoming events are updated regularly.  Autism Victoria has also added listings for Social Skills Programs, Professional Development Programs and Parent Education Programs.  The Calendar is organised chronologically, and a summary listing can be scanned for items of interest.  If you wish to promote an event on the calendar, you must use the form on the website.  It can take up to two weeks to upload event information to the website, so please give plenty of notice for your event.

Making Faces - Neale Stratford

Neale is a photographer who was diagnosed with Aspergers last year at the age of 44. His work is showing at the Centre for Contemporary Photography. You can view his work at the gallery from 11am to 6pm, Wednesday to Saturday until the 13th of December. Click here for further details.

Christmas Cards

Have a look at our range of  designs on our website.  You can order your Christmas Cards online or by contacting the Autism Victoria office.  We have printed colour brochures/order forms available if you wish to distribute them to friends, family, neighbours or colleagues.  We are also able to supply business quantities.  Some designs are selling fast, so don’t delay with your order.

About eSpectrum

eSpectrum is compiled and distributed by Autism Victoria Inc.  All information is included in good faith, and is current at time of release.  Any views expressed in eSpectrum are not necessarily those of Autism Victoria Inc, the State Council, Executive Committee or its member agencies.  The publication of a product or program in eSpectrum should not be taken as an endorsement of the service or the product(s).  Autism Victoria has included details of products and services for the information of readers in good faith.  Readers should take care to evaluate them for their suitability to their particular needs.  Queries, items for inclusion and comments should be directed to Murray Dawson Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Autism Victoria at ceo@autismvictoria.org.au.

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