Click here for details (FAHCSIA web-site).

THE HON JULIA GILLARD MP DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Minister for Education; Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations; Minister for Social Inclusion

JENNY MACKLIN MP

Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

BILL SHORTEN MP

Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE Embargoed 19 July 2008

Autism specific child care centre for South Australia

The Australian Government will set up one of six autism specific child care centres in Adelaide to provide dedicated early intervention and care for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).

In an Australian first, the six centres will also form the basis of Specialist Autism Sites which will also focus on research and training to help achieve a better understanding of autism and develop best practice services.

Parents know that mainstream child care environments can be over-stimulating for children with autism, making it difficult for them to develop new skills.

Raising a child with autism can be extremely difficult and few people understand the challenges that parents face.

Research indicates that an autism specific approach to child care and early intervention can stem a decline in a child’s intellectual advancement and improvements in many other areas of development. The six new autism specific centres will involve teachers, psychologists, an occupational therapist and a speech pathologist in the delivery of programs designed to develop the skills of the child in the following areas:

• Social interaction and play skills

• Cognitive development

• Self-help/tasks of everyday life

• Communication

• Sensory integration

• Fine and gross motor skills

The Centres will enable the Government to measure the effectiveness of the autism specific child care and intervention model and help inform consideration of further expansion.

Today’s announcement builds on the Government’s $190 million Helping Children with Autism (HCWA) package which will provide an estimated 9,000 children diagnosed with an ASD up to $12,000 for early intervention support.

The six autism centres also form part of the government’s commitment to establish 260 child care centres across Australia.

Other autism child care centres will also be located in North West Tasmania, Perth, South Western Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs will be conducting an open selection process for service providers to deliver all six of these centres.

Service providers will be expected to have expertise in child care and early intervention for children with ASDs and affiliation or partnership with a relevant university or hospital specialising in pediatric, early childhood or ASD-related research or services.

For more information on the open selection process for service providers please go to www.fahcsia.gov.au or call on 1800 289 177 and TTY 1800 260 402.

Media Contact: Vincent Tulley 0409 244 865