Page 1394 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
MS BURCH: Thank you. I will go to the amendment and make reference to commitments we have made to support people with autism, together with our recent commitments to disability support. Those commitments include an additional $5,000 per person for an extra half-day of support per week for young people with a disability who have graduated from school—an additional $5,000 per person. I refer to payroll tax concessions for businesses that employ school leavers with a disability. That would include autism. Also there is the continuation of the successful therapy assistants in schools program that tailors programs for each and every student. It is not a cookie-cutter approach but a program for each individual student. We will provide additional funding to Carers ACT. We will commit more than $10 million in support for people with a disability and respite accommodation. We will be trialling a mobile attendance care and evening service to provide “drop-in” support for people with a disability. I think it is quite appalling that the Canberra Liberals consider the NDIS to be a cop-out. I think that is simply appalling.
In the ACT we already have a suite of services providing assistance and support for people with autism, particularly children. It is estimated that between one in 100 and one in 160 children has autism, making it more common than any other childhood condition. Early diagnosis followed by early intervention provides the best opportunity for helping children with autism.
In the ACT we have many pathways for parents to seek advice on their child’s development. Referral can be made from a GP to a paediatrician or a psychologist, and an autism assessment can be undertaken either privately or through multidisciplinary services at Therapy ACT. Seeking a diagnosis is the first step in providing support for children with autism to fulfil their potential.
Therapy ACT’s autism service provides multidisciplinary assessment and intervention services to children under the age of eight. Twelve professional staff provide services to approximately 240 clients across speech pathology, occupational therapy, psychology and social work.
For children over the age of eight, Therapy ACT is able to provide various models of assessment and intervention through their regional teams, which often involves working closely with the school. Therapy ACT provides a family-focused approach which considers the needs of the whole family, rather than focusing early intervention on the child alone.
As well as the work carried out by Therapy ACT, the Education and Training Directorate cater for the needs of children and young people with autism. They provide options for students to access support in schools, either through autism-specific classes or through mainstream classes with support. This includes programs such as the communication and social awareness playgroup, autism intervention unit preschools, learning support units in primary and high schools, and support for post-school options.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video