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The 'autism advantage' at work and how it's giving firms a competitive edge

By bobb |

Craig Allen

Gordon Douglas spent most of his 20s on welfare, struggling to find an employer who would look past his "differences" and give him a break.

The 34-year-old battled his way through job application after job application but, despite being highly qualified and intelligent, he often fell out of contention when it came to face-to-face interviews.

Being neurodiverse is not a barrier to success, but traditional job interviews might be

By bobb |

Antonia O'Flaherty

When applying for jobs, Emma did not reveal she is neurodiverse because she was concerned prospective employers might judge her.  

"I can relate to the insecurity, to insecurities about revealing your neurodiversity, and about whether or not you would be judged on that," Ms Sellars said. 

"Or if you feel your job would be secure if you made a mistake.

CDC: Autism prevalence in children up significantly from 2016 to 2018, and that's actually a good thing

By bobb |

Sam Farmer

Rather than interpret the results of this study as implying that autism is a growing epidemic and a condition which therefore is to be feared, view it instead as being reflective of the natural neurological diversity inherent in humanity, carrying unique challenges as well as strengths.

‘Best thing in my life’: Dad breaks down over autistic son’s 99.45 VCE score

By bobb |

Jessica Wang

The father of an autistic child broke down on live radio, sharing the proud moment his family found out about their son’s top VCE score

Camille Bassanese is autistic and found comfort in a spoon set sold at Kmart before they were discontinued. Her mum Nedra D’Souza approached Kmart and they not only searched for more spoons but will bring their old range back.

NDIS to fund assistance dog

By bobb |

CYHY is an 8 year old boy who has autism, social communication disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and ADHD.

CYHY’s mother requested that he be provided with an assistance dog from Smart Pups Assistance Dogs for Special Needs Children Inc. in exchange for a “donation” of $20,000 to be funded under the NDIS.

The NDIA rejected this support, and his mother appealed the decision at the AAT.

Jonty is the first Aussie Rules umpire living with autism to officiate at a semi-professional level

By bobb |

Myles Houlbrook-Walk

Jonty Beard's Saturday morning ritual, honed after years of practice and discipline, sees him packing his umpiring bag, grabbing his whistle and steeling his mind.

The hard work has seen Jonty become the first person living with autism to officiate a premier league fixture in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL), the Territory's highest level of Australian Rules football.

NDIA spending on law firms to fight participants over cuts to payments

By bobb |

The National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA) spending on private law firms to battle participants appealing its decisions rose 30% last financial year, new figures show.

Data released under freedom of information laws shows the agency paid about $17.3m in 2020-21 to firms representing the agency in “external matters” such as legal challenges at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

The figure is an increase from $13.4m the previous financial year, the data shows.

Vivid new artworks reigniting CBD

By bobb |

Vibrant street art has transformed 33 of Melbourne’s renowned laneways, as the city fills with visitors for summer celebrations.

The new creative and lighting installations are part of the City of Melbourne’s Flash Forward program – the largest revitalisation of CBD laneways in Melbourne’s history.

Recently complete works include:

Preparing kids for life after school is tough. When your child has autism, it can be overwhelming

By bobb |

Damian McIver

Eighteen-year-old Jake Course's life has been built around routines and familiarity.

Every day, it's toasted cheese sandwiches and raisin toast. The Wiggles and Thomas the Tank Engine. Tinkering with his dad's hot rod cars, building with Lego, and attending the Sunshine Special Developmental School in Melbourne's west.

This month, he will complete Year 12, and the school bus which has been picking him up and dropping him home for the last 13 years will come no more.