Are we getting autism diagnosis right?

When a child is slow to walk and talk, alarm bells can start to ring for mums and dads who know instinctively that something is not right.

In many cases, concerned parents are comforted by doctors who say it’s nothing serious and all children develop at different rates.  And perhaps the child goes on to grow up normally.

But for some children, these developmental delays can be the first signs of something that can stay with them for life.

Getting an autism diagnosis can be a confronting experience for a child.

Jeremy Fernandez​

ABC Lateline 22/5/2017

Autism is one of the biggest disabilities among children needing support from the NDIS and how it's diagnosed has big consequences for national disability funding. In September, new guidelines around diagnosis will be released. Jeremy Fernandez spoke to CEO of Autism Awareness Australia Nicole Rogerson, founder of the I CAN Network Chris Varney, and professor of autism with the Autism Cooperative Research Centre Andrew Whitehouse about the complexities around the diagnosis of autism.

The revelation earlier this year that hundreds of thousands of students with a disability are in school without any additional funding to support their education has been reinforced by new statistics.

AGRON LATIFI

Kayla Sterchow had lots of reasons to celebrate on Thursday when she turned 20.

But she couldn’t get her “traumatic’’  high school years in the Illawarra out of her head.

Bullied by other students and kicked out of seven schools, the University of Canberra student was constantly told by teachers she “wouldn’t get anywhere in life’’ because of her autism.

Rick Morton

The executives of the flagship ­National Disability Insurance Scheme, which received guaranteed funding worth tens of billions of dollars in last week’s budget, have launched a crackdown on support funding to keep a lid on ballooning costs.

MATTHEW ROZSA

Mikey Rowe will take the lead in “Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” as theater marks a milestone

It's not only reasonable to criticize the casting of non-transgender individuals as transgender characters or to bemoan the whitewashing of nonwhite characters. It's necessary.

Two teenagers accused of using a replica pistol to "scare" a boy with severe autism as they tried to rob him outside a north Canberra supermarket went home to watch a television show about serial killer Ivan Milat, court documents allege.

The boys, aged 16 and 17, each faced the ACT Childrens' Court charged with attempted aggravated robbery using an offensive weapon on Monday. Neither has entered pleas.

Court documents said witnesses called police after two teenagers approached the boy outside Woolworths at Dickson shortly before 7pm on Sunday.

Cathy O'Leary

Kathy Lette believes there are a lot of men with undiagnosed autism out there.

The London-based author and feminist, who is in Perth to speak to parents of children with autism, argues that with one in 68 people on the spectrum, autism could be defined as “an extreme form of maleness”.

“Just look at your husbands who are trainspotters or plane spotters, keep their records in alphabetical order and are socially awkward,” she said.