Autism West Symposium 2019: The Speakers

Ana Palacios is a contemporary artist whose work spans practices of research, traditional craft, and storytelling through objects. After receiving an adult diagnoses of autism, Ana realised her art practice had emerged as a positive adaptation to the challenges of being neurodiverse. Starting as a volunteer Ana soon began working as a visual arts facilitator, bringing her passion for working with young people and exploring creative research. Her role now concentrates on supporting autism awareness and adult participants at Autism West’s social groups.

Presenting with Rhona Bolger and Ritu Campbell.Women and girls on spectrum often face a long and challenging journey towards diagnosis. Many are not diagnosed until adulthood, if at all. The complex factors, such as “social masking”, lack of awareness about the female presentation of ASD in the wider medical community, and commonly held “myths” about diagnostic features, contribute to non-diagnosis and misdiagnosis, and can lead to negative mental health outcomes. Ana and Rhona will share their valuable insights as women on spectrum who were diagnosed in adulthood. Ritu will provide professional insight into the diagnostic process and its challenges.

Andrew Whitehouse is the Angela Wright Bennett Professor of Autism Research at the Telethon Kids Institute and Professor of Autism Research at The University of Western Australia. He is also Chief Research Officer of the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC) and Adjunct Professor at Curtin University and Edith Cowan University. At the Telethon Kids Institute he leads a large team using a wide range of methodologies to investigate the early identification and intervention of children with Autism Spectrum Conditions, including molecular genetics, neuroscience, endocrinology, behavioural experiments and clinical trials. Andrew has published over 170 peer-reviewed journal articles and attracted over $35 million in competitive research grants. He currently presents an internationally syndicated video series called ’60 Second Science”, which has been viewed by over 1 million people. Andrew is an advisor to State and Commonwealth Governments on policies relating to children with Autism Spectrum Conditions, and chaired the committee that generated Australia’s first national guideline for autism diagnosis. He has also been awarded Australia’s most prestigious scientific award, the Eureka Prize. Prior to coming to the Telethon Kids Institute, Andrew was a Fellow at the University of Oxford.

The last 30 years has seen a huge increase in the amount of research into autism. Much of this research has led to positive change for children and adults on the autism spectrum, while other research has been less effective in its reach into the community. In this presentation, Professor Whitehouse will discuss this research, and ask the question – what is meaningful research? He will conclude by proposing research priorities for the future that have been driven by community consensus.

Angela is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Autism Team at Telethon Kids Institute, and is currently coordinating the Autism CRC research project evaluating assessment of functioning tools for autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental conditions. She completed her PhD at Curtin University and continues to be an active member of the Curtin Autism Research Group. Angela’s doctoral thesis explored the experiences of caregivers and their relationship in the context of raising a child on the autism spectrum, focusing on strengths that led to positive family outcomes. Angela also has extensive clinical experience as an occupational therapist, having worked with children with disabilities and neurodevelopmental conditions and their families for 17 years. Furthermore, she has lived experience as a caregiver of a 12-year-old son on the autism spectrum.

Breakout: Caring for the Carers: Strengths-based Strategies

Presenting with Kiah Evans.

Mothers, fathers and others who are caring for an individual on the autism spectrum do not live in a vacuum – they hold an array of life roles and live within the context of a complex world. Recent Western Australian research has identified strengths-based strategies for carers that are consistent with international positive psychology approaches using the PERMA+ model. During this presentation, Angela and Kiah will share a toolkit of practical strategies to provide direction on how to prioritise ‘caring for the carer’ through recognising and building on existing strengths and resources. Starting with small, manageable steps, these strategies can be embedded into everyday life with the aim of creating meaningful and sustainable change to enhance life balance, wellbeing and positive caregiving experiences.

Dr Ben Milbourn is Senior Lecturer at the School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University and a respected clinician in occupational therapy (OT) practice in Western Australia. Ben researches with and into vulnerable populations including autism and mental health. Prior to joining Curtin University in 2012, Ben worked as an occupational therapist in a number of clinical roles in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Ben currently supervises a number of PhD students in the area of Autism Spectrum Disorder including strengths-based approaches for adolescents, quality of life and assessments of function. Ben is a parent of a young autistic son with recent insight into navigating the NDIS experience.

Presenting with Silvana Gaglia.

With the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) across Australia, caregivers of autistic individuals are on the front line advocating the strengths and needs of the person they support to achieve their goals. Navigating the NDIS funding system can at times be confusing and deficit focused. Caregivers may feel overwhelmed when starting the process, identifying and documenting the areas requiring support and funding. It can be a challenge to know where to start, to find the time, skills or knowledge to effectively advocate for the needs of the individual. Ben and Silvana have recently been through NDIS planning and review for their sons, aged 6 and 22. This presentation will illustrate their personal experiences and will provide practical tips and strategies for caregivers to use to support and prepare for their planning for NDIS funding.

Cian is an ADG and AACTA award-winning series director and producer. Love On The Spectrum will be airing in late October on ABC TV, and is his fifth documentary series for the national broadcaster. Cian was the series director of Employable Me which was both a critical and audience success, winning numerous awards both in Australia and internationally. His two series of Changing Minds: The Inside Story, an observational documentary filmed inside a mental health unit, also won numerous awards within both the TV industry and the human rights sector. Cian is attracted to projects with a purpose, that have something to say.

Presented by Charlie & Michael Paganin and Liam & Siobhan Dow-Hall.

“The diagnoses are just words to you. He’s your brother, you’ve built the relationship that you’ve built, and other people’s labels about what is normal, and what isn’t, never entered into it.” – Siobhan Dow-Hall

The world is so much more inspiring when we release a deep-rooted desire to be normal and embrace each and every person’s innate ability to be an individual. Seeing a sibling on the spectrum grow into an individual is the most rewarding experience of my life.” – Michael Paganin

Young people are the future, but we might not always spend enough time listening to them. As the incidents of diagnosis have risen in recent years, more families are introduced to the world of autism. Growing up with a sibling on the spectrum can entail both the hardest and most rewarding life experiences and lays the steppingstones to mature at an age younger than most. What is the impact on family structure, family members and how do you plan for the future? There are often fears and concerns over what the future will bring. Four young people will give an insight into their experiences of giving and receiving support, transition planning and how they see the future.

Charlie Paganin

Charlie is a young, local artist who is on the autism spectrum. He works part time at Westcare in Nedlands, whilst pursuing his passion for art.  He lives at home with his parents and two siblings.

Michael Paganin

Michael is a 19-year-old university student, studying Biomedical Science at Notre Dame University.  He lives at home with his parents and two siblings, and enjoys many outdoor pursuits like surfing and golf.

Liam Dow-Hall

Liam graduated high school with high marks, defying earlier predictions about his lack of abilities and aptitude for hard work. While studying first hospitality and then financial services at TAFE, he was awarded Fremantle’s Under-25 Active Citizen for 2010 for his fundraising for charity. Volunteering at a local facility for children with autism brought him to the attention of RACWA, who offered him a part-time job. Last year Liam was the only West Australian selected for the Autism CRC Future Leaders Program. Through this program, Liam joined Autism West as a volunteer where he has spoken on advocacy to members, interviewed key stakeholders for their blog and shared his story on social media. Liam has honed his advocacy skills through various presentations at international and local conferences, a live webinar for professionals and parents and is in the process of setting up a web-site to share his experiences.  He has recently bought a house where he lives with his sister, Siobhan.

Siobhan Dow-Hall

Siobhan Dow-Hall trained at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in their specialist acting program and now works as an actress, writer, director and dramaturg across film, TV and theatre. In 2017 Siobhan completed her Masters by Research in the development of social justice and human rights based theatre. She has taught acting, voice and accent technique, and dramatic literature at several institutions including WAAPA, The University of Notre Dame, and Curtin University, as well as outer-curricular drama programs for teenagers. She is a board member of Performing Arts WA, and a member of their Benevolent Fund sub-committee. Recently she moved in with her younger brother, Liam, to provide the degree of live-in support he requires owing to his high-functioning autism and cerebral palsy. Liam and Siobhan are passionate about helping other special needs families navigate the emotionally charged pathway to multi-generational support. They are in the process of developing an online blog to detail their journey.

Ella McNish is a 27 year old woman who recently received her autism diagnosis. Ella has a Diploma of Community Services as well as a Lived Experience Educator qualification and has worked as a peer support worker in mental health settings.

Breakout: Organisational skills for engagement and learning in the Classroom – Workshop

Presenting with Louise Sheehy, Sarah James and Valeska Berg.

Dr Emma Goodall is the Manager Disability & Complex Needs for the Department for Education in South Australia. She is responsible for the review of programs and the development and implementation of research based policy and programs to enable students with complex needs including those on the autism spectrum to flourish in the education system. Emma is an experienced autism consultant and teacher, blogger and published author who combines her professional and academic skills and knowledge with her lived experience as an autistic, to help people understand what it means to be on the autistic spectrum and how different life is for those on and not on the spectrum. Emma is passionate about helping families and schools to facilitate success for children on the spectrum. Emma uses her skills as a certified life coach, mindfulness and meditation teacher to empower adult autistics to understand themselves and how to connect to themselves, and others and maximise their wellbeing through her consultancy Healthy Possibilities. Emma lives in Adelaide with her wife and their dog. She is also on the executive committees of the Australian Society for Autism Research and an adjunct professor at the University of Wollongong.

Plenary: The Importance of Self-Awareness in Advocacy

Understanding yourself is critical in order to be able to be an effective self-advocate, but to advocate more widely requires not just self-knowledge, but an ability to connect to others and work with them to improve the wider community understanding of autism as a whole and the complex range of strengths and support needs that can present in individual autistics. For children and young people on the spectrum, their differences can impact relationships with others, as well as make it difficult to understand themselves. Dr Goodall explores how individuals can develop this self-awareness and advocate for themselves in ways that not only enable support needs to be met, but also maximise wellbeing and potential.

Breakout: Interoception and Behavioural Management Tools for Teachers

Interoception is an internal sensory system where internal physical and emotional states of the body are noticed, recognised/identified and responded to. Interoception skills are required for a range of functions such as knowing when to go to the toilet, being aware of becoming angry or upset and being able to manage emotions proactively. When children and young people have poor interoception they can present with what is typically viewed as challenging behaviour. This session helps educators and families understand how stress and distress impact on behaviour, and the link with interoception. Simple activities to teach interoception, which over time lead to self-regulation, will be demonstrated so participants can implement these in the home and/or classroom. Delegates will learn how to use three easy tools to understand behaviour and plan how to support children and young people through co-regulation helping to manage their emotions, feelings and behaviour.

Evelyn is a proud Bibbulmen woman from the south west of Western Australia and the Founder and Chair of Be My Koorda, a Maddington based Aboriginal support group for families with children with autism, ADHD and other disabilities. Be My Koorda means Be my friend or brother in Noongar Language, and the kids in the group were a part of the making of a first of its kind Noongar resource book called ‘Visiting Our Mob’ under Finding Different Ways Project with Rocky Bay in 2017. Be My Koorda’s mission is Community, Culture and Inclusion.

Did you know there is no aboriginal word for disabilities? In this presentation Evelyn McKay, who runs Be My Koorda, an Aboriginal support group for children living on the spectrum and their families, will discuss autism in relation to the Aboriginal community. Be My Koorda, which means be my friend or brother in Noongar language, was established to address the need for support for Aboriginal families living with autism in our local community. Evelyn will present on her work promoting the development and delivery of a range of effective, culturally appropriate services to support Aboriginal families and children living with autism, and how we can all engage and work together to share our journeys. Evelyn will also explore what living with autism as an Aboriginal family is like for her as a mother of a son who is on the spectrum and the barriers her family face.

In 2018 Autism West commenced the Youth Empowerment Project which is an opportunity for our participants to engage in Youth Action Research and mentoring, as well as learn how to use public speaking, blogging, and social media to educate members of our community on what is social change. As part of the project Autism West has established the Youth Advisory Council (YAC), a platform for young leaders to advocate for social change.

The YAC chose the area of youth employment and conducted research in their social groups with a focus on how a strengths-based approach may impact them now and in the future, while some of the younger participants researched special interest topics including the future, technology and child safety. There was a particular focus on developing and applying humanities and social skills such as interviewing, data analysis and presentation, as these increase the life opportunities for young people with autism. Members of the YAC will present on some of their findings from the project.

Jaquie Mills has worked with individuals who experience challenging behaviour and have complex communication needs for many years and is the project manager for a new post graduate unit on behaviour support for people with complex needs to be offered at Edith Cowan University in 2019. Her work has focussed on understanding the role of relationships, human rights and especially communication rights in working towards better outcomes for people experiencing challenging behaviour. She is passionate about Family Leadership and the importance of families having a strong voice in the design of services which support them. Jaquie is the developer of the Is There a Better Way? program which invites families and their supporters to consider a quality of life approach together to come to a shared understanding of how to approach behaviours which cause concern. Is There a Better Way? has been delivered across WA for the past 6 years and an evaluation by the School of Business at the University of Western Australia in 2018 found that it has a lasting positive impact on the families of people experiencing challenging behaviour.

In this presentation Jaquie will share insights from Merger of Minds, a group of adults with complex communication needs who can experience challenging behaviour. Over 6 years some members of the group have moved from not being able to stay in a room long enough to engage, to being able to share more of their thoughts with others using Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC). Jaquie will reflect on the challenges of working with complex individuals, and share some examples of practice to increase engagement in using AAC, as well as the importance of supporting family, friends and community along the way.

Dr Jilen Patel is a specialist paediatric dentist who completed his specialist training at the University of Western Australia and Princess Margaret Hospital for Children. He is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Dentistry at the UWA Dental School and Consultant at Perth Children’s Hospital. He is passionate about improving oral health outcomes among disadvantaged populations. Jilen is the principle investigator of an Australian first randomised controlled clinical trial aiming to improve oral health outcomes for refugee children.

He received both the Royal Australasian College emerging lecturer award and Australian Dental Association/Pierre Fauchard Academy’s young lecturer award for his work and research in Paediatric Cariology. Jilen was recently named the 2019 West Australian Young Achiever of the year award recognising his work with vulnerable and medically compromised children and his volunteer efforts in remote Kimberley communities.

Presenting with Joanna Granich.

Good oral care is integral to overall health and well-being. For autistic people or those living with an intellectual disability, adequate oral hygiene at home and access to dental services can be difficult and stressful for all involved. In this session, Jilen will synthesise the latest dental healthcare research including at home care and oral health rehabilitation strategies. He will bolster his talk with local case studies and provide optimal strategies to prevent or minimise dental disease in young people. Joanna will outline the impact of autism on individuals’ capacity to manage oral care, and focus on the role of sensory difficulties and stimuli in the dental environment presenting unique challenges for autistics, especially for young and minimally verbal children. Findings from a parent/carer survey covering ‘Dental Needs and Barriers to Oral Healthcare for Children and Adults with and without Autism’ will also be highlighted. The audience will be empowered and take away practical strategies, enabling them to positively manage dental care and optimise oral hygiene behaviours at home for autistic people.

As a child health researcher at CliniKids, Telethon Kids Institute in Subiaco, Joanna coordinates projects focused on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the early years. She is also a sessional registered dental therapist in a private practice in Carine. At an entrepreneurial level and as the founding director of an early stage digital healthcare start-up called AutiSense, her mission is to empower parents and enable dental professionals to enhance early dental experiences for children with and without ASD; deliver better preventative health outcomes for young patients and foster continuing care across the ages.

Joanna has over 10 years’ experience in academic research and is an adjunct research fellow at the University of Western Australia. She has several peer-reviewed publications and extensive experience in project management and evaluation of public health and clinical interventions. Joanna is passionate about autism research, dental health and social enterprise that can make a meaningful and measurable difference to people’s health and lives especially those affected by life-long disabilities.

Presenting with Jilen Patel.

Good oral care is integral to overall health and well-being. For autistic people or those living with an intellectual disability, adequate oral hygiene at home and access to dental services can be difficult and stressful for all involved. In this session, Jilen will synthesise the latest dental healthcare research including at home care and oral health rehabilitation strategies. He will bolster his talk with local case studies and provide optimal strategies to prevent or minimise dental disease in young people. Joanna will outline the impact of autism on individuals’ capacity to manage oral care, and focus on the role of sensory difficulties and stimuli in the dental environment presenting unique challenges for autistics, especially for young and minimally verbal children. Findings from a parent/carer survey covering ‘Dental Needs and Barriers to Oral Healthcare for Children and Adults with and without Autism’ will also be highlighted. The audience will be empowered and take away practical strategies, enabling them to positively manage dental care and optimise oral hygiene behaviours at home for autistic people.

John Schad is a teacher with over 20 years’ experience in working with individuals with autism. Before coming to Perth, John worked for 12 years at the Princeton Child Development Institute (PCDI) – a private, centre-based educational program for individuals with autism. During his employment there he attended Holy Family University and received a Masters of Education, with duel certifications in Primary Education and Special Education. While at PCDI he worked in a variety of roles including teacher and trainer in the institute’s Adult Life-Skills Program. This included a five-year appointment at Mountainview, one of the Institute’s group homes, where he resided with his family and 5 adults with autism, under the Teaching Family model of intervention. Since moving to Australia, John has worked at the School of Special Educational Needs: Disability as a Consulting Teacher with the Autism Education Service, providing support to schools and students with ASD. He has since completed a graduate certification program at the University of West Florida and is now a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst.

Presenting with Tracey Hughes.

In 2016 the federal Minister of Education announced that students with autism who have complex support needs can enrol in schools with specialised learning programs (SLP-ASD). The need for these autism specific programs was identified as autism is the fastest growing diagnostic category of developmental disorders in children. In 2019, there are over 6,400 students with autism enrolled in local public schools.

The Department of Education has allocated $32 million dollars to support the development and running of the SLP-ASD programs. By the beginning of 2020, 16 schools hosting the SLP-ASD programs will be operating in Western Australia; 8 primary and 8 high schools.

In 2018 both Samson Primary School and Southern River College commenced the inaugural year of their SLP-ASD programs. In this presentation Tracey and John will discuss the principles, methodologies and successes since they opened their doors, and goals for the future.

Judy Singer identifies as being “in the middle of 3 generations of women somewhere on the autistic spectrum”. Her 1998 Honours Thesis from the University of Technology Sydney was the pioneering sociological study of this, at that time, new kind of disability. In her thesis, Judy argued that autism was not a new medical condition, but a “socially constructed” disability which emerged due to social changes in the post-modern era. She was credited with coining the term “neurodiversity” to call for a new liberation movement for people who were neurologically atypical. Judy was the founder, via the Internet, of the world’s first support group for people raised by autistic parents. She was Secretary of Sydney’s Inner West Autism and Asperger’s Support Group for several years, and co-founded ASteen, a Sydney-wide social club for teenagers with autism, which is now affiliated with Aspect.

Judy Singer will be in conversation with Cian O’Clery, award-winning director of the ABC series Employable Me, about neurodiversity, its birth and its future.

Kiah is a Program Manager for the Autism Research Team at the Telethon Kids Institute, where she coordinated the Autism CRC project to develop Australia’s first national guideline for autism assessment and diagnosis. Kiah is currently conducting research projects focused on developing and evaluating assessment of functioning tools, along with implementation activities related to the national guideline. Prior to this, she was a researcher within the Curtin Autism Research Group, where she was involved in evaluating the Specialist Peer Mentoring Program. Kiah holds an honours degree in occupational therapy (Curtin University), and completed her doctoral research on how working mothers and carers balance their multiple roles (Edith Cowan University). She has over ten years’ experience working as a lecturer, researcher and project manager within an academic setting, along with over five years’ clinical and managerial experience within the public and private work rehabilitation sector.

Breakout: Caring for the Carers: Strengths-based Strategies

Presenting with Angela Chamberlain.

Mothers, fathers and others who are caring for an individual on the autism spectrum do not live in a vacuum – they hold an array of life roles and live within the context of a complex world. Recent Western Australian research has identified strengths-based strategies for carers that are consistent with international positive psychology approaches using the PERMA+ model. During this presentation, Angela and Kiah will share a toolkit of practical strategies to provide direction on how to prioritise ‘caring for the carer’ through recognising and building on existing strengths and resources. Starting with small, manageable steps, these strategies can be embedded into everyday life with the aim of creating meaningful and sustainable change to enhance life balance, wellbeing and positive caregiving experiences.

Louise has a science degree from National University of Ireland and qualified as a teacher with Goldsmiths, University of London.

Most of Louise’s career has been involved in the not for profit sector and she has been working with teenagers and adults on the autism spectrum since 2011 when she co-founded Galway Autism Partnership in Ireland. She has been interested in advocacy and education since her role as an educational policy worker in Ireland, and gained valuable experience in philanthropic work with The Australian Children’s Trust, Perth. As Autism West CEO and mother of a young man on the spectrum, she is passionate about ensuring individuals are actively involved in planning, delivery and development of services. Her work demands reflective practice and is one of collaboration, encouragement and ensuring interests of the community are a priority.

Breakout: Organisational skills for engagement and learning in the Classroom – Workshop

Presenting with Ella McNish, Sarah James and Valeska Berg.

Meredith is a highly experienced family lawyer who has worked exclusively in family law, mediation and care and protection matters since her admission in 1996. Meredith’s focus is working with clients to resolve complex parenting and financial matters and she has extensive experience as a Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner. She is also a qualified Arbitrator and a qualified Collaborative Professional who regularly works with social workers and financial advisors to assist parties to settle their child and financial matters. In addition to private work, Meredith is also a highly experienced Independent Children’s Lawyer in the Family Court and a Child Representative in the Children’s Court. In this capacity she assists the Court in determining the children’s best interests and conveys the children’s views.

Meredith has a special interest in ASD. She has a child on the spectrum and has represented parents of children with ASD and children with ASD themselves in both the Family Court and the Children’s Court.

Presenting with Ursula Stevens.

Raising a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a rewarding and uniquely challenging experience. Unfortunately, the rate of divorce for parents of children with ASD is nearly twice the rate of other parents (Hartley et al, 2010). Divorce and separation is a difficult period of time for parents and children, and children with ASD can be particularly affected. This presentation provides a basic understanding of common issues faced by parents undergoing divorce or separation and how to address them. It provides information on the overall framework of the Family Court, how to create parenting, spousal and child support arrangements, and what you need to navigate the system successfully to ensure the best outcome for the child.

Presented by Ella McNish, Louise Sheehy, Sarah James and Valeska Berg.

This year’s Symposium presents a two-hour workshop facilitated by experienced educators and a presenter with lived experience aimed exclusively at teachers, exploring how to engage students with autism in a classroom setting.

The workshop provides activities leading to a greater understanding of how autism can affect student engagement and learning, and how educators can assess classroom resources and activities to enable greater engagement. Topics covered include:

• Introduction to autism;
• Assessment – the classroom, the students and me;
• Individual assessment;
• Executive functioning;
• Classroom strategies and accommodations to engage;
• The social side of school – impact and opportunities.

Presented by David Renton, Guy Hall, Ian Croft and Joseph Poprzeczny.

Recent studies of fathers and fatherhood suggest that experiences of fatherhood and motherhood can be fundamentally different. The panel will share their experiences, and any practical advice, on diverse topics such as rewarding and challenging aspects of being a father of someone with autism, coping methods and support used, experiences with service providers and perceptions of gender differences of being a parent.

David Renton

David Renton is a Chartered Accountant who has worked in area of funds management for the last fifteen year. He is also a non-executive director of Interchange WA, an NDIS provider, for the last 3 years. He is married with two young daughters and his eldest daughter has complex communication needs and was diagnosed with Autism and Global Development Delay at an early age. Now ten, she communicates with increasing effectiveness using an augmented communication device. David is passionate about increasing awareness around AAC and helping people to understand that non-verbal people have plenty to say.

Guy Hall

Guy Hall is an Associate Professor of Criminology at Murdoch University. After doing a life sentence in Fremantle Prison (as a Clinical Psychologist) he joined academia. He was also Deputy Chair and member of the Western Australian Prisoners Review Board, and has given presentations and workshops on the intersection of autism and the criminal justice system. Guy is the father of an autistic son and a successful dramatist daughter and is married to a clinical psychologist who has long worked with people on the spectrum. Guy will talk about how his children and his wife’s work has enriched his life.

Ian Croft

Ian Croft’s career started as a teacher, developed into insurance sales, accountancy and now in retirement he devotes some of his time to writing poetry. Ian has fought an ongoing battle with mental health all his life and has finally found some level ground later in life. He is also a proud father to a teenage girl with autism.

Joseph Poprzeczny

Joseph Poprzeczny was born in post-war French occupied Germany, but spent his childhood and youth in WA’s central wheatbelt. Having gained a major in economics and economic history from University of Western Australia, his Master’s degree focused on the Australian wheat trade with China. Having tutored at three Australian universities he then worked as a politics and education writer at The Sunday Times, The Australian and Business News. He is author of a pioneering study of Adolf Hitler’s major, but long-overlooked, genocidal killer; Hitler’s Man in the East: Odilo Globocnik and is presently engaged in two research and writing projects.

Payam is compassionate and wise, he is on the autism spectrum and he is non-speaking. Three years ago at the age of 14, Payam had a communication breakthrough and now communicates by typing on a keyboard.

Payam is an advocate for all who have ever felt misunderstood. He lives in Atlanta, USA amongst a growing community of revolutionary thinkers. He has presented at the educational conference at Georgia Tech, hoping to spread his message, and on April 2nd 2019, Payam addressed the United Nations on World Autism Awareness Day advocating for his peers, or as he calls them, “the other silent champions.”

For Parisa Khosravi, Payam’s mother, giving voice to the voiceless was her joy and passion as a journalist. It has now taken a completely different meaning as she advocates for her non-speaking teenage son on the autism spectrum and his peers to ensure their voices are heard, and she wants to share Payam’s presentation with you via video link from the US.

Payam respects the need to help international mindsets with understanding more clearly what it is like to always feel trapped by preconceived perspectives. Major world views are beginning to open for individuals with disabilities. Payam hopes to continue this journey by presenting to you all. As a young non-speaking man on the autism spectrum, Payam has unique insight into the challenges faced by his community. In his presentation, shared by Payam’s mother Parisa Khosravi, he describes what it’s like to feel trapped by preconceived perceptions, and his passion to advocate for himself and his peers, ‘the other silent champions’.

Rhona Bolger is the co-founder and co-director of Alyssa’s Autism Acceptance Project (The AAA Project), a family run charity that aims to empower young people on the autism spectrum and educate school communities about autism. Rhona, her husband Clay and their two teenage children Alyssa and Lachlan are all diagnosed on the autism spectrum, and they proudly discuss their neurodiversity with school groups all over Western Australia. Rhona is also a passionate learning support teacher and currently works as a literacy support teacher for Guildford Grammar School and a specialist literacy teacher for the Dyslexia SPELD Foundation.

Presenting with Ana Palacios and Ritu Campbell.

Women and girls on spectrum often face a long and challenging journey towards diagnosis. Many are not diagnosed until adulthood, if at all. The complex factors, such as “social masking”, lack of awareness about the female presentation of ASD in the wider medical community, and commonly held “myths” about diagnostic features, contribute to non-diagnosis and misdiagnosis, and can lead to negative mental health outcomes. Ana and Rhona will share their valuable insights as women on spectrum who were diagnosed in adulthood. Ritu will provide professional insight into the diagnostic process and its challenges.

Dr Ritu Campbell is a Clinical Psychologist specialising in the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Ritu completed her Doctorate in Psychology at Murdoch University, Perth, and has specialised in diagnosis and therapy for ASD since 1999. She worked as a Clinical Psychologist at Disability Services Commission and the State Child Development Centre, before opening her private practice in 2004. Ritu specialises in the diagnosis of ASD in complex cases and is particularly experienced in the diagnosis of women and girls on the spectrum.

Presenting with Ana Palacios and Rhona Bolger.

Women and girls on spectrum often face a long and challenging journey towards diagnosis. Many are not diagnosed until adulthood, if at all. The complex factors, such as “social masking”, lack of awareness about the female presentation of ASD in the wider medical community, and commonly held “myths” about diagnostic features, contribute to non-diagnosis and misdiagnosis, and can lead to negative mental health outcomes. Ana and Rhona will share their valuable insights as women on spectrum who were diagnosed in adulthood. Ritu will provide professional insight into the diagnostic process and its challenges.

Sarah James is a qualified primary school teacher with a passion for inclusive education. Early in her career, Sarah felt dismayed by the number of students with complex learning needs falling through the gaps. This motivated her to seek out the knowledge and training to reach and empower her students. Currently, Sarah works with a number of schools, advocating for the needs of neurodiverse students. She is also a group leader at Autism West where she combines her teaching experience with a strength based approach to provide opportunities for social engagement amongst autistic teenagers.

Breakout: Organisational skills for engagement and learning in the Classroom – Workshop

Presenting with Ella McNish, Louise Sheehy and Valeska Berg.

Following her son’s autism diagnosis in 1999 Silvana embarked on a journey into autism, her hunger to absorb and discover ways to support her son grew into a passion and a sense of duty to support others on the same journey.

Silvana is co-founder and chairperson of Autism West, established from the parent run group FOCAS (Focus on Children on the Autism Spectrum), established in 2001. Her passion drives her to work tirelessly towards creating opportunities for individuals with autism, to build self-esteem, independence, confidence and skills. Overall building a strong community, where people with autism are engaged, challenged, motivated, understood and respected and lead a meaningful and happy life.

Outside of her work with Autism West, Silvana is a Learning and Organisational Development Consultant at the Public Transport Authority. Silvana was one of the winners in the Pro Bono Australia’s Impact 25 awards – recognising positive impact in 2016.

Presenting with Ben Milbourn.

With the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) across Australia, caregivers of autistic individuals are on the front line advocating the strengths and needs of the person they support to achieve their goals. Navigating the NDIS funding system can at times be confusing and deficit focused. Caregivers may feel overwhelmed when starting the process, identifying and documenting the areas requiring support and funding. It can be a challenge to know where to start, to find the time, skills or knowledge to effectively advocate for the needs of the individual. Ben and Silvana have recently been through NDIS planning and review for their sons, aged 6 and 22. This presentation will illustrate their personal experiences and will provide practical tips and strategies for caregivers to use to support and prepare for their planning for NDIS funding.

Theresa has worked in the mental health and disability sectors for over 30 years, and is passionate about increasing well-being, strengthening relationships, and enhancing quality of life. Theresa is the director of Dr Theresa Kidd Psychology, a private clinic for autistic children, adolescents and adults, and other children with behavioural or emotional difficulties. In addition, she is a part-time postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Emotional Health at Macquarie University. Her work here involves coordinating a national randomised controlled trial for primary school children experiencing high levels of anxiety and bullying. Theresa’s PhD research incorporated family-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to reduce anxiety in autistic adolescents. In addition, she co-developed the Curtin Specialist Mentoring Program to support university students, with autism or related conditions, to succeed in tertiary education and beyond. She is committed to helping autistic people of all ages to work on their challenges, increase their strengths, and to realise their life potential. Theresa has a special interest in working with adolescents and young adults, autistic girls and women, and those with a Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profile.

Often viewed as being a distinct part of the autism spectrum by clinicians, educators and researchers in the UK, Pathological Demand Avoidance or PDA is becoming increasingly recognised in Australia. Individuals with a PDA profile exhibit extreme levels of anxiety in response to demands and expectations of everyday life, manifested in excessive levels of avoidance to maintain complete control. Although affected in different ways, and to varying degrees, many of these students have a difficult education experience, with low school attendance common. Education staff are challenged as to how to best support these students since traditional management techniques for autistic children, such as structure, routine and rewards, are generally ineffective. This presentation will provide an overview of PDA, consider what demands are, explore helpful approaches, including the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions model (Greene & Winkler, 2019), and useful resources.

Tori Haar is an autistic woman from Brisbane. She works for Autism CRC where she is the project team chair for the Future Leaders program as well as being part of their Research Office. She has a Masters of Disability Studies, is a member of the Aspect Advisory Council and has been establishing herself as an autistic leader and public speaker for over 5 years. Tori is also a 2019 Westpac Social Change Fellow. Tori is passionate about creating opportunities for autistic people to embrace their potential and creating environments which allow them to express themselves, learn from and encourage one another.

The Autism CRC has a vision to see autistic people empowered to discover and use their diverse strengths and interests.

In her presentation, Tori will discuss the Sylvia Rodger Academy, a key initiative helping the Autism CRC to reach its goals in partnership with the autistic community, and to deliver nationwide programs aimed at empowering autistic adults to contribute to policy and practice impacting upon their lives. She will share insights, successes, learnings and opportunities for partnering with autistic individuals through this important initiative, exploring it through the lens of, and in parallel with, her personal reflections on her own journey of growth and learning as an emerging autistic leader in a diverse and changing landscape. This personal evolution ranges from being a participant in the inaugural 2013 Future Leaders and 2015 Research Programs, to coordinating the development of the expanded and reimagined 2018 version of Future Leaders and most recently by being acknowledged as an emerging social innovator by being named a 2019 Westpac Social Change Fellow.

Tracey Hughes is a secondary school educator at Southern River College. She began working with students with ASD in 2015, when the Autism Extension Program was opened at Southern River College. In 2018, the school launched the first Specialised Autism Learning Program in Perth. This year will see the first Year 12 student with autism, who has been with the program since it began, graduate from the school.

Presenting with John Schad.

In 2016 the federal Minister of Education announced that students with autism who have complex support needs can enrol in schools with specialised learning programs (SLP-ASD). The need for these autism specific programs was identified as autism is the fastest growing diagnostic category of developmental disorders in children. In 2019, there are over 6,400 students with autism enrolled in local public schools.

The Department of Education has allocated $32 million dollars to support the development and running of the SLP-ASD programs. By the beginning of 2020, 16 schools hosting the SLP-ASD programs will be operating in Western Australia; 8 primary and 8 high schools.

In 2018 both Samson Primary School and Southern River College commenced the inaugural year of their SLP-ASD programs. In this presentation Tracey and John will discuss the principles, methodologies and successes since they opened their doors, and goals for the future.

Ursula has worked exclusively in family law since her admission in 2017. She completed her Bachelor of Laws alongside a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Gender Studies and Social Analysis. Her emphasis is on providing commercially realistic and easily understandable advice to her clients. After her admission, Ursula worked as a Legal Associate for a Family Court Judge and offers a unique insight into the inner workings of the Family Court and their judicial officers.

Ursula is currently completing her Graduate Diploma in Autism Studies. She hopes this qualification will provide her with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the needs of parents and children with ASD.

Presenting with Meredith Hunter.

Raising a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a rewarding and uniquely challenging experience. Unfortunately, the rate of divorce for parents of children with ASD is nearly twice the rate of other parents (Hartley et al, 2010). Divorce and separation is a difficult period of time for parents and children, and children with ASD can be particularly affected. This presentation provides a basic understanding of common issues faced by parents undergoing divorce or separation and how to address them. It provides information on the overall framework of the Family Court, how to create parenting, spousal and child support arrangements, and what you need to navigate the system successfully to ensure the best outcome for the child.

Valeska is the higher degree by research representative of the school of Arts and Humanities at Edith Cowan University and gives lectures and tutorials in Cognitive Psychology and Research Methods. She volunteered at the Curtin Autism Research Group and wrote her Master’s thesis in Developmental Psychology at Curtin University. Valeska is also a PhD researcher aiming to support students’ learning. As part of her PhD she is developing a tool to assess foundational learning skills (executive functions) in students. This tool is designed to measure executive functions in a fun game-like fashion on an iPad. In the long run teachers will be able to support lower cognitive function levels based on the outcome of the app. Valeska has lived and studied in several countries, worked as a child care educator, and has been a group facilitator for the Autism West Yes Group since 2017.

Breakout: Organisational skills for engagement and learning in the Classroom – Workshop

Presenting with Ella McNish, Louise Sheehy and Sarah James.

Dr Lawson, an autistic lecturer, psychologist, researcher, advocate, writer and poet has for the last 25 years passionately shared his professional and personal knowledge about autism. He has written and contributed to over 20 books and many papers. Tutor for the University of Birmingham’s Masters Autism course, Co-Chair of the Australian Autism Research Council (AARC), member of the I CAN Network board, Australia, Editorial Board member for the journal Autism in Adulthood, Wenn also consults to the South Australian Government and is a family man with autistic adult offspring and autistic grandchildren. In 2017 he presented to the United Nations on matters of autism and ageing.

Autistic individuals may exhibit behaviours that appear challenging and unreasonable. Being able to grasp why some behaviour is so challenging, what causes this and how to remedy it, is vitally important. At times such behaviours have been linked to a lack of empathy, to being difficult, and to not appreciating concepts associated with Theory of Mind (ToM); knowing others have their own thoughts, feelings and ideas that may be different to one’s own.

In this presentation, Dr Lawson explores how a failure to attend to several things simultaneously has been misinterpreted as poor ToM, and could instead be due to poor understanding of object permanence; the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be perceived. Being able to understand object permanence in relation to autism builds confidence in carers, teachers and individuals alike. It is a myth that autistic individuals lack empathy. Exploring ways and means to build concepts relieving fear and anxiety in AS individuals, changes lives for the better. Appreciating the differences between object permanence and theory of mind issues not only changes perceptions but enables appropriate support.