Page 3116 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 15 September 1993
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A greater understanding is needed of autism, of the unique problems faced by families in coping with the incapacitating behaviours of an autistic child or adult on a day-to-day basis, and of the needs of those who suffer from autism and their carers for specialist resources and services. As this is National Autism Week, I would ask the members of this Assembly and the ACT community to take the opportunity to develop a broader appreciation and understanding of the special problems confronting members of the community who suffer from autism. I present a copy of this statement, and I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
MRS CARNELL (Leader of the Opposition) (3.28): I would like to join the Minister for Health in speaking on National Autism Week. I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate the Autism Association of the ACT, which is a group of parents who are concerned with the long-term prospects of education for their autistic children, on the work it does. Membership is made up of families of autistic children and young adults and other members of the community who are interested in aiding autistic children in the ACT. It is a voluntary organisation and it does a marvellous job. It operates on government grants, it is involved in fundraising activities, and it relies on donations and membership subscriptions. Anybody who has had anything to do with autistic children and autistic adults would realise the great strain that autism puts on a normal family unit, and the great need for support for parents of these children.
Mr Berry spoke about the very good work done by the ACT Department of Education in their centre at Hughes Primary School that looks after autistic children between the ages of three and six. Unfortunately, when autistic children graduate from this program there is no identified program or support for them from then on. They are integrated into mainstream schools or into special schools, but the level of individual support that is needed by these children at this stage seems to be sadly lacking. I know that the Government is also aware of this problem.
Currently in the ACT there are 62 children who have been diagnosed as having autism. Of those, 12 children are in the preschool age group or under, 27 are at school and 23 are at high school. Many of these children are also severely disabled. We also have approximately 15 adults in the ACT who have autism. That brings me to an important issue, and that is one of respite care for children and for adults who have autism. I have already alluded to the pressure that is placed upon families in this situation, but that pressure becomes substantially worse when they are faced with a situation where there is very limited capacity for respite care.
There is also no housing policy in the ACT for autistic people. For that matter, there is really no housing policy generally for those who have intellectual disabilities. That means that children, particularly those under the age of 16 who cannot live at home, are placed in an invidious position. Families who cannot cope with their autistic child at home are faced with, I suppose, the option of foster care, although we know about the problems that currently exist in that area. Birralee respite care is available to some, although the availability has become much less of late. Alternatively, they have to move interstate.
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