Government Support of Children with Autism

Until recently, the idea that children with autism should be “cured” and assimilated into wider society has been a prevalent one.

Autism has been viewed as something to be fixed, and children with autism have been taught to behave in neurotypical ways, a process that has often involved intensive therapy.

But all that looks set to change with the release of updated national guidelines for the support of children on the spectrum — and the emphasis is very firmly on neurodiversity affirmation, not assimilation.

Autism affects about one in 100 people, but only about 2 per cent receive a formal diagnosis.

It can affect a person’s learning, socialising and wellbeing, making timely access to support and therapies important, especially for young children.

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An emphasis on support

The new national autism guidelines are structured to help families and young people identify the right services for their needs. Guidelines of a similar nature were drawn up in 2018, but they focused on diagnosis instead of therapy.

The current national guidelines will focus on different forms of therapy, all of which highlight support over correction.

The guidelines were submitted to the federal government in late November and their implementation will be announced early next year.

Professor Andrew Whitehouse, the head of the autism research team at the Telethon Kids Institute, was involved in developing both sets of guidelines.

He said the updated advice was particularly progressive in supporting divergence.

“We started diagnosing autism in really large numbers in about the late 90s, early 2000s,” he said.

“We were racing to provide supports, and so there was a real, great need to provide support as quickly as possible to as many people as possible.”

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-11/autism-national-guidelines-for-support-therapy-of-children/101531724

By: Eleanor Beidatsch