on becoming  ACT Young Australian of the Year

By bobb |
Daniel surprised

Erika McGown

Artist and neurodiversity advocate Daniel Bartholomaeus has been recognised for his efforts in using art to build connections.

Daniel Bartholomaeus sat with his hands pressed tightly over his mouth, his eyes wide with disbelief, sheer shock and excitement radiating. He had just heard his name announced as the 2025 ACT Young Australian of the Year. 

Minutes before, Daniel had sat in the audience, taking in the experience.  

Parents demand answers after autistic child was locked in school bike yard

By bobb |
ACT Government. Education logo and text

Sarah Lansdown

Parents of child with autism who was locked in a school bike yard by a staff member are demanding to know why they were not informed until almost three months later, despite it being serious enough to warrant three separate investigations.

The parents were told that on May 7 their son, who is Indigenous, climbed into an unlocked outdoor bike storage facility at his ACT public primary school.

Dad assaults 'good Samaritan' who helped lost boy with autism

By bobb |

Hannah Neale

A father assaulted a "good Samaritan" who helped his lost son, who has an intellectual disability, when the pair became separated during a hike.

The man, who The Canberra Times has chosen not to name, was fined $1000 in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

He had previously pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Watch: From Eddie Mabo to Lindy Chamberlain, here are some of Australia’s most famous court cases.

Teachers urged to move beyond stereotypes

By bobb |

Sarah Lansdown

One in five students in a class are likely to have some level of disability, but not all teachers have the evidence-based skills to cater for the diverse needs of students in their classes.

Angus Lange, 18, with his mum Sarah Lange talks about his struggle with dyslexia in school.

University of Canberra doctoral lecturer Julia Davies-Duff exposes her pre-service students to the latest research on best practice for teaching neurodivergent students.

Canberra: Families struggle to get ADHD or autism diagnosis

By bobb |
chart shows a big gap between NCCD stdents with disability and students with disability in ACT schools from 2015 to 2022

 Lanie Tindale

There is never a dull moment in the Sugars-Daniel's "neurodivergent house", mum Rhi Sugars laughs.

But the struggle many Canberrans have in getting themselves or their child an autism or attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) diagnosis is no laughing matter, she says.

The mother-of-two lives in Lake Bathurst and works in Queanbeyan.

Finding a job: Meet Canberra-based Autism employment advocate Darien Judge

By bobb |

On ABC Canberra Afternoons with Paula Kruger

Getting your first job out of school is an exciting milestone... but for many people on the Autism spectrum it can be daunting.

23-year-old Canberra man Darien Judge has been working for almost two years in IT at the Australian Bureau of Statistics after joining a specialist recruitment program.

Darien spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about his experience to encourage other Autistic jobseekers and potential employers to see the benefits of hiring someone with Autism.

Construction starts for Canberra’s first autism hub

By bobb |
aeiou logo

CONSTRUCTION begins this week for a $3.5 million world-class autism hub in Garran.

The sod turning ceremony for the AEIOU Garran Centre for Autism will be held tomorrow (February 26) to mark the beginning of construction for the early intervention facility supported, through capital funding, by the John James Foundation.

The centre will be the first of its kind in Canberra and will provide early intervention for about 40 children per year. It will also have the capacity for research and training.

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