Pollies take notice

Anthony Radford | Bendigo Weekly | 07-Sep-2012

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FAMILY EVENT: Ashley Hill with daughter Samantha at the launch.
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LOCAL waiting lists for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder have hit the radars of the state’s politicians, and it is set to continue.

After the Bendigo Weekly revealed last month waiting lists for early intervention services were more than two years in some cases, local State Government officials have begun contacting parents of children with ASD to get a clearer picture of the crisis.

The Weekly revealed last week the Education Department had wrongly told the government claims of the two-year wait were incorrect.

The issue, and the push for a whole-of-life autism centre in Bendigo, won’t go away, especially if last weekend’s launch of Australia’s first autism radio show is anything to go by.

More than 150 people attended the launch of the show, hosted by parent Rebecca Kelly.

The show will be broadcast at 10am every Saturday on Phoenix FM,  106.7 on the dial, starting tomorrow.

“The launch, which included a screening of The Lomax, was fantastic,” Ms Kelly said.

“These kids haven’t been able to go to the movies before, because their parents are judged by others,” she said.

“Everything was acceptable.”

The Real People Talk ASD radio program will look at all areas of autism. This week it will feature a dietician, who will talk about how to deal with the challenging food behaviours associated with the disorder.

Rebecca will also talk with a local author Kelly Andrews. Her book, 100 Kisses of Autism, is about her journey as a parent of an autistic son.

There will also be a discussion about a new diagnostic model introduced in the USA and whether it has any effects for locals.

P. Rollinson commented on 09-Sep-2012 03:00 PM5 out of 5 stars
What would be really good also would be to have a Prep-12 school for Autistic children. At present we have to hope for our child to have an intellectual impairment to go to a special school to be in the class sizes they need, with the support that is required.
The autistic children that have to go to mainstream schools struggle with sensory overloads, behavioral issues and other autistic traits, it's hard on the children, the parents, the teachers, schools and other students, they are all stretched to the maximum
as it is. All children have the potential to live and grow to be independent and contribute to society, they just need to be taught in the right environment and have the adequate support.

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