Latest news

For the last 10+ years, the Secret Agent Society (SAS) program has been evolving as it transforms children’s lives worldwide. Now it is time to step into the future.

Results from Autism CRC’s latest research have led to recommendations for improving best practice in the identification, diagnosis, and ongoing supports for people on the autism spectrum in New Zealand.

Autism HealthPathways are now available for adoption and adaptation in 43 health regions, caring for more than 28 million people across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

The inclusionED team has been busy, recently releasing three new teaching practices in time for the 2021 school year.

Autism CRC is proud to announce the recipients of the 2020 Autism CRC Awards for Achievement in Autism Spectrum Research.

We’re pleased to announce the launch of a new National Guideline Implementation Toolkit to help clinicians to upskill and deliver the recommendations in the National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Australia.

Autism CRC’s 2019-20 Annual Report is now available. We approached this year with a focus on completing our current program with an emphasis on the translation and utilisation of our project outputs for impact in our user community; and the transition of our assets and activities to a legacy operation beyond the CRC term.

We are pleased to announce the publication of a landmark report for families, clinicians, researchers and policy makers, which synthesises the best available high-quality evidence about interventions for children on the autism spectrum aged up to 12 years.

We asked some of our recent graduating scholars about their research, where they are now and what being be part of Autism CRC meant to them. In this article we hear from Dr Aspasia Stacey Rabba.

We are delighted to announce the official premiere of our Quality of Life Photovoice Gallery. This unique research output offers an insight into what affects quality of life for autistic adults, told from their own perspective, through photography and spoken word.

One final session of myWAY Employability training in 2020 is now available.

We are proud to announce the opening of the annual Autism CRC Awards for Achievement in Autism Spectrum Research. The awards are open to all organisations and researchers and recognise achievements in inclusive research practice and the translation of autism research into practice, products, policy and programs that benefit the autistic and broader autism communities.

"Don't limit yourself. Go higher. Think bigger." That’s the advice 20-year-old Liam Picen has for other autistic young people planning for their working life. myWAY Employability is Autism CRC’s latest offering and was launched in August by Jackie Coates, Head of Telstra Foundation.

We are pleased to welcome two more organisations to Autism CRC’s Research Co-production Partner Initiative: University of Wollongong and University of New South Wales.

Autism CRC’s Autistic Voices - Influencing Change webinar, brought together four autistic leaders who are effecting change through their work, advocacy and personal pursuits. The discussion provided tips for finding opportunities for collaboration and great insights into how to make...

We are delighted to announce the release of inclusionED, a major new online professional learning community for educators. The platform was launched by the Hon. Dan Tehan MP, Minister for Education, via an online event on Monday 18 May.

The revolutionary Secret Agent Society (SAS) suite of programs and tools, which help children build resilience and social-emotional skills, are now available through online, telehealth and distance education options.

The myWAY Employability development team recently took an early version of their smart web application out for user testing at two large metropolitan schools, to get detailed feedback from students on the autism spectrum.

The Autism Teen Wellbeing website provides resources and strategies to help build protective factors against depression and anxiety for these vulnerable young people by cultivating a sense of belonging and the ability to regulate emotions in the face of stress.

Autism CRC is looking for autistic employees and their employers and co-workers, supervisors across a variety of roles, industries to contribute to our research by participating in studies around autism in the workplace.

Autism CRC subsidiary Social Skills Training (SST) is excited to announce that Essential Participant Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) has committed to a five-year rollout of the Secret Agent Society (SAS) Small Group Program.

With the support of $450,000 from Telstra Foundation, Autism CRC is developing myWAY Employability, a smart web application that helps young people on the autism spectrum to plan and prepare for their working life.

The Sylvia Rodger Academy’s inaugural Governance Program is well underway with 14 participants from across Australia attending a 3.5 day residential workshop in Melbourne last month. The Governance Program is the first national training program in corporate governance for autistic...

We are pleased to announce the membership of the Australian Autism Research Council (AARC) for 2020. We were truly excited by the unprecedented response to our call-out last year, which resulted in 100 Expressions of Interest being received from across...

A recent Macquarie University study has demonstrated the significant impact of Autism CRC’s current investment program on the autism research landscape in Australia.

The purpose of this study was to understand what was associated with loneliness in autistic adults compared with non-autistic adults. Using data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Autistic Adults (ALSAA), the study gathered questionnaires from 252 autistic and 146 non-autistic adults aged 25+ years from across Australia.

Autism CRC is proud to announce the winners of the 2019 Autism CRC Awards for Achievement in Autism Spectrum Research.

Autism CRC and Autism Queensland have teamed up with students from the Studio G creative design program for young people on the autism spectrum to create a new illustrated Goal Setting Tool for Adolescents and Adults.

Autism CRC's Sylvia Rodger Academy is proud to partnering with Aspect to deliver the 2019 Future Leaders Program. Over the coming months, the participants will put into practice their learnings.

The first-known evidence-based clinical care pathways for people on the autism spectrum across their lifespan are now a reality, with the launch of the Autism HealthPathways Initiative in Mackay on 31 August.

The Autism CRC Awards for Achievement in Autism Spectrum Research recognise and celebrate research and development initiatives that exemplify the Autism CRC’s vision, mission and values.

Almost 200 people turned out to this year’s Autism@Work Summit to learn about and share the benefits of transitioning to a neurodiverse workplace.

The first rigorous trial of a pre-emptive behavioural intervention for babies showing early signs of autism has found the therapy can improve early language development.

This stage of the community consultation process is now closed. The outcomes will help guide the future focus of autism research activities and research funding in Australia.

In early April Autism CRC Participants attended a one-day workshop in Brisbane. Participant Day 2019 was attended by over 90 people representing 27 organisations, including 13 Essential Participants and more than 20 alumni from the Academy Research and Future Leaders...

This investment round is looking for projects that support our vision to see autistic people empowered to discover and use their diverse strengths and interests.

Autism CRC is hosting four webinars in April as part of Autism Month 2019. Spaces are limited, so we recommend you register today.

Autism CRC is currently undertaking several longitudinal studies which will provide data and baselines to aid the development of future tools, practice and policy for people on the autism spectrum. These include longitudinal studies on: Australian pre-school aged children on...

It is with great pleasure that we are able to announce the start of a new partnership between our two organisations, the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC) and Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect), to deliver the Future Leaders Program in 2019 and 2020.

New Autism CRC research, published in the leading academic journal Autism Research, has found that the comparative mortality of people on the autism spectrum is twice that of the general population.

Congratulations to Autism CRC's very own Tori Haar who has just been recognised by the Westpac Scholars Trust for her work as an autistic leader, public speaker and change maker. The Trust recognised 10 outstanding social innovators, awarding each with...

We are pleased to announce our first official Autism CRC Research Co-production Partners: Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect), Macquarie University, University of Southern Queensland

Partnership aims to deliver positive change to lives of people on the autism spectrum We are pleased to officially welcome University of Wollongong (UOW) as the newest participant of Autism CRC and look forward to their contributions to our unique...

Kiah Evans from Telethon Kids Institute receiving the award for the National Guideline Jill Ashburner from Autism Queensland receiving the award for the Goal Setting Tool for Adolescents and Adults Two projects received recognition at the annual Autism CRC Awards...

Using the findings of Autism CRC’s latest research for educators will soon be easier with the development of a dynamic e-learning portal. The website, which is in development, will help teachers and professionals to support students with a range of...

Overview Our investment round looks for projects that support our vision to see autistic people empowered to discover and use their diverse strengths and interests. Expressions of Interest (EOI) for our 2019 investment round closed on February 1. Only applicants...

The Autism@Work Summit, presented by Autism CRC, DXC Technology and ANZ, was held in October 2018, proudly supported by sponsors Symantec, SAP and Peoplebank.

Earlier this year, we announced the outcome of our Autism CRC 2017-18 Investment Round, with six projects from across Australia and New Zealand successfully receiving investments. Projects were assessed based on their addressing Autism CRC's milestones and utilisation of existing...

The Sylvia Rodger Academy was officially launched at a special Autism CRC event on Thursday 1 November at the Institute of Social Sciences Research, University of Queensland. An initiative of the Autism CRC, the Sylvia Rodger Academy will deliver nationwide...

We were delighted to celebrate the graduation of our 14 Future Leaders from the 2018 program at a special Autism CRC event on Thursday 1 November at the Institute of Social Sciences Research, University of Queensland.

Autism CRC hosted its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 1 November 2018 at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Social Science Research.

We are very pleased to let you know that the National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Australia was officially released this morning.

We are thrilled to announce our four prize recipients for our Autism CRC Digital Art Celebration.

Australia's first holistic leadership capacity building program for adults on the autism spectrum is well underway, with 14 autistic adults (pictured left) coming together for a three-day residential workshop to develop their leadership and community advocacy skills.

Autism CRC has developed a working relationship with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to facilitate relevant research that will assist with consistent autism diagnosis across Australia and identify interventions that will contribute to positive outcomes for individuals with an autism diagnosis.

In recognition of its impact, Autism CRC's Secret Agent Society (SAS) program was recognised at the prestigious national CRC Association Awards for Excellence in Innovation.

We are pleased to announce we are establishing an Australian Autism Research Council to review and determine national priorities for autism research and address areas of need for the autistic and autism communities

We are pleased to announce we are now accepting applications from organisations that demonstrate commitment to research co-production on a sustained basis and would like to be recognised as Autism CRC Research Co-Production Partners.

We are pleased to announce a new, online Autism@Work employer roundtable is being developed by us and our partners, DXC Technology, ANZ, SAP, Peoplebank and Symantec, to help employers continue to invest in neurodiversity employment programs to benefit people on the autism spectrum.

Autism CRC would like to offer a heartfelt congratulations to our scholar, Anna Urbanowicz, for receiving the highly prized Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholarship to work on improving the hospital experience for adult patients on the autism spectrum.

Autism CRC hosted four webinars in April as part of Autism Month 2018 and recordings of these webinars are now available.

We are delighted to announce that our Autism CRC Digital Art Celebration 2018 is now open for entries.

Final consultation on Australia’s first national diagnostic guideline for autism closed late last year, and the revised draft is now with the steering committee for feedback.

Expressions of interest have now closed for the latest Autism CRC Investment Round for award in mid-2018.

In September 2017, Autism CRC was pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Valsamma Eapen as Director of Program 1, Early Years.

Autism CRC was delighted to sponsor the first inaugural state-based Australasian Society for Autism Research (ASfAR) state conference.

Released today, the 2017 MoneyMinded Impact Report from RMIT University, commissioned by ANZ, is one of the first in Australia to explore the issues related to financial wellbeing for people living with disability and their carers.

Autism CRC is pleased to announce the election of Professor Robert van Barneveld as Chair of the Autism CRC Board.

Autism CRC is pleased to announce that Macquarie University has become one of our Other Participants, with pre-eminent autism researcher Professor Liz Pellicano leading the collaboration.

Autism CRC hosted its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 2 November 2017 at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Social Science Research. On the night we shared our milestones and achievements with board members, staff and participants.

The Autism@Work Forum, presented by Autism CRC and DXC.Technology, was held in September 2017 at the ICC Sydney.

On 7 September 2017, Australia’s first draft national guideline for autism diagnosis was released for consultation.

Autism CRC is developing a new leadership program for 2018. The program is the result of a follow-up evaluation of the 2013 Future Leaders program and the first two Autism CRC Research Academy national workshops.

The annual Autism CRC Awards for Achievement in Autism Research recognise and celebrate research and development initiatives that are exemplary of Autism CRC’s vision, mission and values.

Autism CRC is proud to announce that Autism New Zealand has become one of our Essential Participants.

Autism CRC is pleased to announce that Professor Andrew Whitehouse will lead its comprehensive whole-of-life research program, as its new Chief Research Officer.

On 9 June, family, colleagues, students and the autistic and autism community gathered in Brisbane to celebrate the life and outstanding achievements of Autism CRC’s Research and Education Director, Professor Sylvia Rodger AM.

Spotlight on Autism Research is a webinar series held throughout the year which provides up-to-date information on autism research across our three research programs including webinars focused on the autistic voice in research.

An Australian-first research project to evaluate and manualise a peer mentoring program for university students is now complete. The program, developed at Curtin University, is available to all Australian universities.

Executive Chef, Dominique Rizzo, has worked with researchers from Autism CRC to evaluate classes designed specifically for adults on the spectrum to learn vital cooking and nutritional skills.

As part of our Education Research Program, Autism CRC researchers are looking for classrooms to begin trialling a whole of classroom version of the highly successful social skills training program, the Secret Agent Society (SAS).

We are extending the reach of the Autism CRC Education Research Program activities and outputs through the Commonwealth Positive Partnerships program.

As 2016 comes to a close, we have taken a look back at a year of significant achievement and progress.