A CONFERENCE will be held in Busselton early next month for parents and professionals to understand and support people with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Autism: The Whole Child Conference 2014 will cover topics such as things you’d wish you’d known sooner, how to transition teenagers to adulthood, ten essential abilities every child needs and deserves to learn, plus a question and answer time.
The conference will be hosted by Autism West and acclaimed speaker, author, trainer and parent advocate, Chantal Sicile-Kira.
Autism West is a charity that aims to enrich the lives of people affected by autism.
Autism West board member and psychologist Kylie Rigg said the conference, which was in it’s sixth year, would be invaluable for anyone dealing with autism, including parents, carers, educators and health professionals.
“We at Autism West are keen to provide access to parent and professional autism information that is both affordable and local,” she said.
“With support from local businesses such as IGA Express Broadwater, this year we are presenting the conference in both Kalgoorlie and Busselton, in addition to our Perth events.
“Chantal is a trailblazer in the field of Autism and we are thrilled to have her as our 2014 conference presenter.”
South West Institute of Technology lecturer and local mother Samantha Ehrlich said the conference would raise awareness of how many children in the South West have autism.
“Parents need developmental help,” she said.
“The conference will be good because there is very limited access to autism services down here and you have to wait months and months to get in or travel to Perth.”
The conference will be held at Bayview Geographe Resort in Busselton on November 5 from 10am to 2.30pmand tickets are available for $60 from www.trybooking.com.au/101471
