AEIOU News
AEIOU Hosts Autism Conference Featuring Professor Tony Attwood and Dr Michelle Garnett
Mon, 9 Apr 12
MEDIA RELEASE
APRIL 2012
AEIOU Hosts Autism Conference Featuring Professor Tony Attwood and Dr Michelle Garnett
To coincide with Autism Awareness Month, AEIOU Foundation is hosting a thought provoking Autism Conference at South Bank Institute of Technology on Friday 20 April 2011 from 9am-4:30pm for teachers, allied health professionals and parents and carers of children with autism. Tickets are $190 per person.
AEIOU Foundation Director of Education Diane Heaney said the conference, which is now in its second year, will share new insight into developing education and integration strategies for children with autism in their school, social environments, and at home.
The conference will be presented by clinical psychologist Professor Tony Attwood, who has specialised in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) for more than 35 years, and Dr Michelle Garnett, Founder and Director of Minds & Hearts: A Specialist Clinic for Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism.
“We are delighted to welcome Professor Attwood and Dr Garnett to host this conference with AEIOU Foundation. This is an excellent professional development tool for allied health professionals with an interest in autism, as well as educators, childcare workers and parents and carers,” Mrs Heaney said.
The seminar will address key topics such as cognitive abilities: a different way of thinking and learning, sharing strategies that may improve attention, organisational skills and academic achievement. The afternoon session will identify strategies to reduce scenarios where children with an ASD are being bullied and teased.
According to Professor Attwood, “parents and teachers hope integration with peers will be enjoyable and successful and some children will welcome the opportunity to play or socialise with other children who have an ASD, but there will be times when a child with ASD is more prone to bullying than typical children.”
In this presentation Professor Attwood & Dr Garnett will explain causes for bullying, and provide a series of strategies that can be employed by parents, teachers and allied health workers to help manage and reduce these scenarios.
Mrs Heaney said autism is not rare, affecting more than one in 160 people in Australia. “Recent studies indicate that most teachers will welcome at least one child with autism into their classroom every two years. We created an Education Support service at AEIOU Foundation for this very reason, to provide greater support to teachers and students in their learning environment to support learning goals, inclusion and independence.”
Tickets are $190 per person and can be registered at www.aeiou.org.au.
Established in 2005, AEIOU Foundation is a Brisbane based non-profit organisation which provides best practice early intervention in 10 locations throughout Queensland for children with autism aged between two and a half an five years.
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Media enquiries:
Deborah Whiteoak, Communications Manager, p: 3320 7910, m: 0400 552 139, e: deborah.whiteoak@aeiou.org.au
