Articles

Autism Victoria Annual General Meeting

This meeting will be held on Monday 10th October in the Matsudo Room, Box Hill Town Hall.  Full details are on the attached invitation.  The evening will feature a presentation from the CEO of Alpha Autism Inc., Tracel Devereux and Jeanette Purkis and other team members, who will speak about an innovative training service developed by Alpha.

We will also be saying farewell to our President of the past four years, Dr Lawrence Bartak, who is retiring from the Autism Victoria State Council.  Lawrie has been a sterling supporter of Autism Victoria and our affiliated services since he returned to Melbourne in 1975, after several years working with top autism researchers in London.  His list of positions held and achievements is extensive and we will miss him greatly.  However, he has assured us that in between grandfather duties he will be happy to support us with specific projects.

Please join us as we offer a formal vote of appreciation to Lawrie at our AGM.  Our 2004-05 Annual Report will be tabled at the AGM.  If you would like a copy, please email the Autism Victoria office and the staff will arrange to forward a copy to you.

Events

The Events Calendar on the Autism Victoria web site maintains an up to date listing of forthcoming events that are submitted to our site.  Some of the events currently listed include:

Autism Victoria 2005 Research Forum – 21st October 2005, Preston

This Forum is an excellent opportunity to hear about Autism Spectrum Disorder research currently being undertaken in Victoria by students – undergraduate and post graduate, as well as by university research teams.  The Autism Victoria Research Reference Group (part of the Autism Services Coordinating Committee) is especially pleased to welcome keynote speaker, Professor Patricia Howlin.  The day will provide an excellent opportunity to share common interests and concerns in the autism research field.  It will be suitable for students, university staff and clinicians and will also be of interest to parents and teachers.  Please note that the forum will focus on research matters, and participants should have a reasonable knowledge of Autism Spectrum Disorders and research methodology.  A registration form can be downloaded here.  The full program will be posted on the Autism Victoria website shortly.

A message from Autism South Africa and the World Autism Organisation

The 2nd World Congress on Autism is being staged in Cape Town, South Africa from October 30th to November 2nd 2006.

Call for Papers closed on the 30th September 2005 (it may not be too late to submit a proposal)

Early Bird Registration closes June 30th 2006

The warm sun and the blue skies of Africa await you!

Visit www.autismcongress.com for full conference details, and consider joining us 2006!

Asperger Services Australia National Conference, 20th – 22nd October 2005, Brisbane

This conference is the first of its kind in Australia – with the majority of presenters being people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.  People on the Autism Spectrum will be able to come together to experience a conference with the main focus on themselves.

Day 1:  Workshops for people on the spectrum facilitated by people on the spectrum

Day 2:  Sessions for families and friends, educators, service providers, professionals

Day 3:  ASD Services EXPO with small seminars throughout the day

For program and registration details go to www.iamevents.com.au/asa

Some other events that may be of interest to readers of eSpectrum include:

VCOSS Congress 2005 – “A Fair and Equitable Victoria – Achieving the Vision”, 19th to 21st October, Melbourne

This conference will be of interest to those wishing to learn more about Social Policy and working to ensure that all Victorians have access to and a fair share of the community’s resources and services, through advocating for the development of a sustainable, fair and equitable society.

For program and registration details go to www.vcoss.org.au and follow the prompts.

ACROD National Conference on Social Participation, May 2006, Sydney

ACROD Victoria, a major disability advocacy agency, is taking a keen interest in social participation. Social Participation is a way of looking at the person with a disability within a whole of life setting, the interrelationships of the various aspects of their support arrangements and how ACROD members can better deliver services to their clients.

The inaugural National Conference on Social Participation is to be held in Sydney on 30-31 May 2006.  Call for Papers has just been announced.  For details contact Gabrielle Jones (02) 9503 1603 or email gabe@acrodnsw.net or Philippa Angley (03) 9362 0800 email acrodvic@infoxchange.net.au for further information.

Free International Online Autism Conference

This Autism Online Conference takes place from October 17th to 21st, 2005.  Over 30 experts have agreed to take part giving participants free access to these speakers.  The target audience is those with Autism or Asperger's Syndrome, parents, teachers, social workers, therapists, medical professionals, police officers, researchers and caregivers.

The topics will include Autism in Society, Brain Research, Therapies, Services, Adults with Autism, Brain Research, Diagnosis and Screening Education, Theories of Autism, Savant Skills, Splinter skills, Prevalence, Language and Autism, Genetics.  Speakers include Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Donna Williams, Wendy Lawson, Dr. Geraldine Dawson, Professor Tony Atwood, Professor Uta Frith, Dennis Debbaudt, Dr. Fiona Scott, Dr. Digby Tantam, Theo Peeters, and Paul Shattock.

To register (there is no cost involved) visit the conference web site at http://www.awares.org/conferences/.  The list of speakers is expanding.  Keynote papers are already posted.

Autism Behavioural Intervention Association (Victoria) Annual General Meeting, 26th October 2005, Kew

The AGM business will be followed by a presentation from Gloria Staios and Chris Kendall, Spectrum Speech Pathology, entitled “Strategies for assisting children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder in mainstream settings”.  For details contact the Autism Behavioural Intervention Association on (03) 9830 0677 or email info@abia.net.au or visit their website at www.abia.net.au.

Southern Area Concert Band “Concert for the People”, 30th October, Kingston City Hall,

This wonderful band have again nominated Autism Victoria as the recipient for donations received at their annual concert.  “Masquerade” is an exciting collection of music from stage, film and around the world, following a distinctly costumed theme.  The concert commences at 2:00 pm, and costs just $5.00 per person.  The Kingston City Hall is at 985 Nepean Highway, Melway Reference 77 D5.  The writer of this bulletin can thoroughly recommend the concert – great music, friendly atmosphere – and a good cause!  Check out the band’s website at http://www.geocities.com/southernarea/.

News

Autism Victoria Christmas Cards

Have a look at our range of seven designs on our web page.  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, and can arrange for overprinting if required.

Some designs are selling fast, so don’t delay with your order.  For those who have tried to order online before now, we apologise for the ‘messy’ web page.  This has now been fixed up and you can see images of each design in Our Shop.

Autism Prevalence in Australia Study, 2005

The Autism Council of Australia has recently provided funding for the above study that is currently being run by medical and research staff based in Perth and Sydney.  The project aim is to gather available information from state-based autism, education and disability services and national disability service providers about diagnosis and assessment processes used throughout Australia so that state and national variability can be identified.

The team are seeking to establish the known number of individuals within Australia, who are aged between birth and 16 years of age, and who have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, in order to determine the prevalence of autism, Asperger Disorder and other related pervasive developmental disorders in Australia.

This data is currently being collected via short questionnaires.  If you believe that your organization may be able to provide such data, please contact Dr Greta Ridley at gretar@chw.edu.au.

Autism Society of America supports families affected by Hurricane Katrina

The ASA has set up a special fund, Autism Cares, in the wake of this devastating catastrophe.  The plight of families and agencies supporting children and adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder must be horrendous.  For information about the relief effort, go to www.autismcares.org.

Radio National Program All in the Mind - “Missing the Point!  The Mysteries of Autism”, 17th September 2005

This discussion was facilitated by Julie Browning and featured a NSW mum, Kathryn Matthew, WA paediatrician Dr John Wray and the Director of Outreach Services Aspect Australia, Anthony Warren.  For a transcript go to http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/mind/stories/s1458890.htm.

Four Corners/Horizon Program “Does the MMR Jab Cause Autism?” 5th September 2005

This program was made in the UK by the BBC’s Horizon team.  The program explored the evidence for and against the hypothesis that the Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccination may cause autism in some children.  The conclusion was clear – neither epidemiological or scientific evidence can be found to support the hypothesis.  A full transcript of the program can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/mmr_trans.shtml.

Opportunity for children with disabilities to work with Circus Oz stars!

The Joint Councils Access for All Abilities (JCAAA) have developed series of Circus Skills workshops for young people with disabilities.  Participants will experience a wide range of circus skills including tumbling, trapeze, hoola hoops and juggling.  This is a fantastic opportunity for young people aged 12-18 living in the Bayside, Glen Eira, Port Phillip or Stonnington municipalities.

Come and try days will be held on Sunday 9th & 16th October.  The Workshops will be held on Sundays - 6th November to 11th December.  For details ring Sophie Boord, JCAAA, (03) 9209 6723 or email her at aaa@portphillip.vic.gov.au.

Club Wild Karaoke Dance Party, Friday 28th October

This wonderful evening is for people aged 18+, and is held at the Melbourne Bowling Club, 138 Union Street, Windsor.  It was the scene for the first Alpha Outbound event in September, and the clients attending had a wonderful time (as did the staff!).  If your young person loves music, singing and dancing, give Club Wild a go.  They organise well run events with the emphasis on participation.  Keep up to date with Club Wild at www.clubwild.net.

Learning for Life “Time of Your Life” Charity Ball and Auction

Learning for Life is a not for profit organisation that provides subsidised intensive early intervention programs for children on the autism spectrum.  Their main fund raiser this year is the “Time of Your Life” Ball at the magnificent San Remo Ballroom, hosted by Tom Gleisner and featuring a star-studded line-up of celebrities.  It will all happen on Friday 11th November.  Tickets are $125 per person all inclusive (tables of ten) and music will be provided by The John Farnham Band.  For more information email Naomi at L4L llautism@bigpond.net.au or ring Mary Muirhead on 0438 534 727.

The Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre presents “Trilogy of the Mind”, a play

This play, by Neil Cole, is performed by people with bipolar mood disorder and/or depression.  It opens for a four-night season at the The Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank on Wednesday 12th October at 6:30 pm.  A member of Autism Victoria has been involved in the development of the script for one part of the play, exploring issues for parents who have a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder subsequently diagnosed with a mental illness.  For bookings and enquiries phone (03) 9685 5111.

2006 – 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr Hans Asperger

Dr. Asperger’s centenary also marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of Dr. Lorna Wing’s article “Asperger’s syndrome:  a clinical account” in the journal Psychological Medicine.  Dr. Wing’s paper, the first major English-language presentation of Dr Asperger’s work, helped bring worldwide attention to Asperger's Syndrome (AS).

International Asperger’s Year is an appropriate time to honor Dr. Asperger and other researchers, encourage people who might have AS to seek a diagnosis, correct misconceptions about AS, improve and expand AS public services, develop AS mentoring programs, and recognize the special needs of AS adults.

Organizations and individuals may observe IAY as they wish.  The initiative was conceived by the Asperger Adults of Greater Washington, has been sanctioned by the World Autism Organization, and has been endorsed by professionals such as Professor Simon Baron-Cohen (Cambridge University) and Professor Uta Frith (University College London).

A Committee for International Asperger’s Year has established, as has an open listserv for the exchange of IAY-related ideas, information and announcements - http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/asperger-year/

Lobbying and Consultation

Welfare to Work – ACOSS Community Action

Proposed federal government legislation has the potential to negatively affect many jobless single parents and people with disabilities.  The Australian Council of Social Services have established an ‘action tool’ for members of the public to notify their local member asking them to reject the proposal and instead invest in better assistance to help the poorer or disadvantaged members of society.  This action tool can be accessed via the ACOSS website – www.acoss.org.au - by entering your postcode, a personal letter will be sent to your Federal Member of Parliament.

Department of Education and Training – Northern Metropolitan Region New School

It was recently announced that Preston Special Developmental School would become the specialist autism school for the Northern Metropolitan Region in 2006.  Whilst this is good news, and long overdue, the announcement does not indicate how Preston is going to cater for the large number of Autism Spectrum Disorder students in the region, and in such a short time frame.  Autism Victoria has written to the Department proposing a summit meeting to address this and a number of other issues.  The new Autism Victoria State Council will also be discussing these issues at their next meeting in late October.  If any Victorian recipient of eSpectrum would like to be kept informed of these discussions via email, please send your request to admin@autismvictoria.org.au.

Human Rights Consultation – online questionnaire

A member of the Autism Victoria State Council, Wendy Kiefel, has advised that the Department of Justice Human Rights Committee has received very few submissions about people with disability and their carers.  The Committee members are surprised given the concerns raised in the recent “Walk a Mile in my Shoes” campaign by carers around Australia.  The good news is that it is not too late to make a submission.  It does not take long to complete the online questionnaire.  Please make the effort if you possibly can.

http://www.justice.vic.gov.au/CA2569020010922A/page/Resources-Human+Rights+Consultation?OpenDocument&1=0-Resources~&2=0-Human+Rights+Consultation~&3

Petition for better services in the Melton Shire

Cathy Jacobs, a member of Autism Victoria, is so concerned about the lack of services for her young child, and the extraordinary waiting times, she has started a petition.  If you wish to support this effort, download the attached petition, and circulate it among your family, friends and colleagues.  Completed petitions should be sent to Henrietta Rennef, Parent to Parent Western Region, MacKillop Family Services, 9 Victoria Street, Footscray, 3011, Phone: 9689 4799 (reception).

Resources

Step Ahead Social Skills Training Program

Step Ahead Consulting have developed a number of resources for use with adults with a disability.  These include ‘Relationships’, ‘Conversation Skills’, ‘Feelings, Assertiveness and Problem Solving’ and “Self Esteem and Resilience Training’.  For more information go to their website at www.stepaheadconsulting.com.au.

SpringFree Trampolines

Since their introduction earlier this year, many Victorian families and services have purchased a SpringFree trampoline.  Karyn Howard, an Autism Victoria member emailed “my kids each spent a year’s pocket money (to buy a SpringFree trampoline) and love it.  We now have most popular house in the school.  The SpringFree is the trampoline I have spent ten years and four children worth of parenting just waiting for...cheap at twice the price!”

SpringFree have two special offers for October 2005– free Delivery for Autism Victoria members,  and a special price for the smaller 2.51 metre diameter tramp - $845 (includes GST, delivery and a FlexiNet) – usually $945.  As well as these offers, SpringFree also make a donation to Autism Victoria for every tramp sold when the purchaser mentions that they heard about the product from Autism Victoria.

To see more about the SpringFree trampoline, go to their webpage at www.springfreetrampoline.com.au, or contact the Autism Victoria office for a brochure.

Message from Donna Williams about a new website for people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

“This website is very exciting because it has been made by people with Autism Spectrum Disorder to help people on the Autistic Spectrum all over the world find work and employment.  It allows people to find and support the work and skills of people with Autism Spectrum Conditions around the world.  There are categories of work for those with ALL levels of skills.  The website is not just for the most able people on the Autistic Spectrum.  It is for all people on the Autistic Spectrum.  The website is not political and provides equal opportunity to all people on the Autistic Spectrum around the world.  Please do come and visit us at www.auties.org.”

Meeting to discuss formation of an Asperger Syndrome Teen Group

Members of the Asperger Syndrome Support Network Victoria Inc. are holding a meeting this coming Friday, 7th October at the MS Nerve Centre in Blackburn, to discuss the formation of a social group for teenagers with Asperger Syndrome.  For details, go to http://www.autismvictoria.org.au/events/victoria_events.php#assnteen.  There is no need to book – just turn up.

Interested in participating in local Autism Spectrum Disorder Research?

Two local researchers are currently seeking subjects.

1.           Betty Evtimovski – Research will soon be underway within The Department of Learning and Educational Development at the University Of Melbourne.  The research will investigate the experiences of parents and the ABA team who conduct home-based behavioural interventions for their children with autism.  There is little published research on these experiences and this is your opportunity to evaluate the program and to voice your opinions and concerns.

The research team will be inviting parents and therapists to participate in the project.  Participation will involve two questionnaires that will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.  It is hoped that the study can inform policy direction regarding ABA in Australia.  For further information, or to register your interest in joining in the project, please contact Ms. Betty Evtimovski on 0413 405 170 or email b.evtimovski@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au

2.           Rachel Kelly – Thinking Skills and Pretend Play – is currently recruiting children who have been diagnosed with Autism, aged between 4 and 7 years old, who are high-functioning with good verbal ability, to take part in a research study.  The research aims to investigate the development of executive functions in children with autism, and the role of executive functions in the pretend play of children with autism.

Executive functions is a broad term used to describe the ability to plan, formulate and initiate goal-directed behaviour, inhibit automatic inappropriate responses, generate novel behaviours and utilize working memory.  Executive functions are commonly found to be impaired in children with autism.  As part of the research, each child will complete a developmental assessment.  The results of this assessment will be made available to the parents/ guardian of the child.  All tasks will be presented to the children as games, which in our experience children find enjoyable.

If you are interested in participating in this research, please contact Rachel Kelly at La Trobe University on (03) 9479 2151.  Alternatively, please e-mail to r2kelly@students.latrobe.edu.au.

Tracking device used in Without a Trace

A recent episode of the popular Without a Trace program featured a storyline about a young boy with autism who ‘bolted’ from a group of students whilst visiting a museum.  An Autism Victoria member emailed “As a concerned parent of a 6 year old with autism, I was happy to see such an accurate portrayal of a family with an autistic child.  The child had a tracking device on his wrist in case he wandered.  I was excited to see that such a device is available so I set out to find out if I could purchase one for my child.  My research has found the following website - http://www.caretrak.com/lifesaver/lifesaver.php.  This US project supplies this device to people who wander and can electronically locate them.  Unfortunately, the device is not available in Australia.”

Does anyone know of a similar device that is locally available?  Or alternatively, are there any entrepreneurs who would be prepared to investigate importing these devices?  Or maybe even an inventor who could develop a local model?  Autism Victoria, and indeed all the Autism Spectrum Disorder associations in Australia could guarantee a ready market!

Alphabet Kids

This is an email Support Group created by a parent with a child with autism; for other parents with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADD/ADHD, developmental delays, behavioural issues or children suspected/in process of being assessed for these.  The aim of the group is to ‘see the child beyond the label’.  The group is intended for parents who want support from other parents, who are open to trying alternative treatment options, and who want to educate professionals about effectively meeting their children’s needs.  For email support, contact: alphabetkids@dcsi.net.au

Expressions of interest for a monthly support group gathering of ‘Alphabet Kids’ can be registered by calling Allison Redding on 03 5629 1244 or email alphabetkids@dcsi.net.au  The gathering will be held at Garfield Primary School, Railway Avenue, Garfield on the 1st Wednesday of each month (excluding school holidays) at 7.30pm.  Starting October (first week of term 4).

Supporting Inclusive Schools:  A handbook for Developing and Implementing Programming for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Victoria member Mary Rose Hall has emailed the details of this resource that she has found very informative.  It has been prepared by a team in Manitoba, Canada and published online.  It can be downloaded in its entirety from http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/ks4/specedu/aut/index.html at no charge.

Special Trikes for Special People

Tempo Tricycles Australia, a Brisbane based company, will be in Victoria with a truckload of samples from the 10th to 14th October.  If you want to arrange an inspection, contact them on 0413 005 619, or email sales@tempolafaek.com.au or visit their web site at www.tempotricycles.com