SA Libs promise special autism school

By bobb |

LAUREN NOVAK, POLITICAL REPORTER February 01, 2010 12:32PM

THE Liberal Opposition has pledged to set up a school specifically for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder if elected next month.

Leader Isobel Redmond announced this morning the party would establish a school staffed and designed to "meet the needs" of those children while also putting resources towards special needs children who remain in mainstream schools.

She said there was great demand from parents, who had been lobbying the government for such a solution.

National autism register to be established

By bobb |

Australian Associated Press

"We need to know the extent of autism in Australia so we can properly support people with ASD." Bill Shorten

A national register will be created to track the rising incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in Australia, the federal government has announced.

Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services Bill Shorten told a regional autism conference in Sydney that a register would help improve government support services.

Mental Health system denies mental health services to youth with Asperger's Disorder

By bobb |


A Coroner's report details massive systemic failure in the mental health system.

The mental health system denied services for, Rowan Wheaton, a young man with fatal mental health issues, because he was also diagnosed with Asperger's Disorder. The Coroner's report can be downloaded here.

Media reports can be found at:

Autism on ABC News website

By bobb |

Autism gets much more coverage in the media in USA compared to Australia.

If you would like to see some of the coverage, especially the TV coverage, check out these web pages ...

A4 has not reviewed the content of these webpages so it has no opinion about the content and does not endorse anything on those websites.

Trying to Solve Autism's Mysteries

By bobb |

When Preston Brown was a young child, doctors diagnosed him with autism. Now they say he doesn't have it anymore.

"He's very aware of his surroundings," said his mother, Jamie Brown, who added that the changes in recent months have been drastic and that doctors have dropped his autism diagnosis.

"He communicates, he has favorites, he has opinions, he has humor," she said. "He makes friends, he is learning at warp speed, he's intelligent. He's happy, he's not sick anymore."

The Dangers of Autism

By bobb |

Here is a very disturbing story from the media in the USA.

Autism in America: A Perilous Diagnosis
By RADHA CHITALE
ABC News Medical Unit
Nov. 6, 2008

Liane Willey's father always told her that, if she was ever in trouble, she should find a policeman and ask for help.

In college, Willey befriended a young campus policeman. Recalling her father's advice, she asked him to escort her home late one evening rather than walk alone. Instead, the officer drove away from campus, took her to his trailer home, and raped her.

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