Angela Harper-Erini
November 12, 2008

Queensland health experts are seeking a national register of children with disabilities after claims that children have been wrongly diagnosed as autistic to secure disability funding.

Labor backbencher Dean Wells tabled figures in the Queensland parliament on Tuesday indicating that one in every 50 children in the state was diagnosed as autistic.

The figure, obtained from parliamentary library research of government records, was three times the international average.

by Ben Edwards, Daryl J. Higgins, Matthew Gray, Norbert Zmijewski, Marcia Kingston

Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2008.
ISBN 978-1-921414-02-2. ISSN 1447-1469 (Print); 1477-1477 (Online).

Full Report - The nature and impact of caring for family members with a disability in Australia (PDF 3.3 MB)

The Senate Inquiry into Special Disability Trusts published its report entitled Building trust: Supporting families through Disability Trusts (see http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/clac_ctte/disability_trusts/repo…). The report is quite short (56 pages). It provides 14 recommendations.

We are all capable of the extraordinary savant skills displayed by people with autism according to Professor Allan Snyder, speaking at the Royal Society today. Snyder argues that it is our inbuilt expectations of the world that stop us from using them.

Prof Snyder spoke on the savant syndrome and his efforts to 'turn on' autistic savant skills in people who don't have autism at a discussion meeting jointly organised by the Royal Society and the British Academy. Snyder is director of the Centre for the Mind at the University of Sydney, Australia.

• Who will the initiatives help?
• My child is over six years old, can I still access the services under the Helping Children with Autism package?
• What other support is available to families and carers of children with an Autism Specific Disorder?
• When will the services be available?

Fact sheet - FaHCSIA initiatives
Information for Parents and Carers
Frequently asked questions - FaHCSIA initiatives

MACKLIN: Thanks very much everyone, for being here, with my Parliamentary Secretary, Bill Shorten, we're very pleased to be here at Malkara School today. If I can thank the Principal, Jenny, and all the other staff who are here today, and particularly for having us meet and play with the children, to really get a feel for the very, very important work that they're doing. We're very pleased today to be able to announce the detail of the funding for improved services for children with autism.

Joint Media Release with  The Hon Nicola Roxon MP, Minister for Health and Ageing
The Hon Brendan O'Connor MP, Acting Minister for Education
The Hon Bill Shorten MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services