Extended consultation for Supporting Children guideline

Published
22 Feb 2022 Updated 6 April 2022 to include extended activities. Updated 3 May 2022 with closed activities.

Hello, I’m David Trembath and thank you for your interest in the development of the national practice guideline. On behalf of the Guideline Development Group, I would like to say thank you for be willing to contribute.

We’re current engaged in a community consultation, which means we would love to hear from you, and all members of the autistic and autism community(ies).

We have a number of activities that you can get involved in.

The first is an online survey that asks for your views about therapies and supports. It’s open to all members of the autistic and autism community(ies).

We’ve also developed four activities that are specifically designed for children, young people, and adults, including people of all ages who communicate mainly in ways other than speech.

The first is an online survey. It is essentially the same survey that is available to the broader community. We recognise that some autistic young people may also be willing and able to complete this survey, so we have made it available.

The second activity is a brief survey, that focuses on three main questions about therapies and supports. We hope that by making it shorter, it will be more accessible to autistic children, young people, and adults, including people of all ages who communicate mainly in ways other than speech.

The third activity is about expression through art. We invite autistic children, young people, and adults to share their views and experiences via a drawing, a painting, a sketch: a piece of artwork.

The fourth activity is one in which we invite parents to share their observations about their children accessing therapies and supports. This can be parents whose children are currently accessing those supports, or parents reflecting on their children’s experiences in the past.

So there are a number of activities.

Thank you very much for your interesting in contributing to the development of the National Practice Guideline.

Autism CRC is currently working on a national practice guideline for supporting the development and participation of children on the autism spectrum and their families. As part of the guideline development process, we want to hear from as many people as possible about what’s important to them and what they think the guideline should include. 

There are activities designed for children, young people, and adults on the autism spectrum, including people who communicate primarily in ways other than speech. There are activities for parents and caregivers, service providers, and the broader autism community.

The initial round of consultation is now closed. You can register to stay informed of future activities and the development of this guideline on the Get Involved page.

Get involved

Completed activities

Online Survey (all adults)

Share your views on therapies and supports in this comprehensive survey.

Open to the whole autistic and autism communities including individuals on the autism spectrum, parents, and service providers.

Completed April 30, 2022.

Find out more

Online Survey
(young persons on the autism spectrum)

Share your views on therapies and supports in this comprehensive survey.

Open to young people on the autism spectrum and requires parental consent.

Completed April 30, 2022.

Find out more

Brief Survey

Share your views on therapies and supports by answering three main questions.

Open to children and young people on the autism spectrum, as well as adults who communicate mainly in ways other than speech. Requires parent consent and can be completed with parent support.

Completed April 30, 2022.

Find out more

Expression through Art

Share your views on therapies and supports through a drawing, sketch, or painting.

Open to children, young people, and adults on the autism spectrum, including people who communicate mainly in ways other than speech. May require parent consent and can be completed with parent support.

Completed April 30, 2022.

Find out more

Parent Observations and Reflection

Share your observations of your child’s experiences accessing therapies and supports, either currently or in the past.

Open to parents of children, young people, and adults on the autism spectrum who communicate mainly in ways other than speech.

Takes 5-15 minutes, depending on how much you want to share.

Completed April 30, 2022.

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Focus groups

We have conducted 8 focus groups involving 47 individuals to learn from the views and experiences of autistic adults and parents of children on the autism spectrum.

Completed March 2022.

More about the guideline

The national guideline will support families to make informed choices when accessing services, and provide professionals with a set of recommendations to guide ethical and effective service delivery. The recommendations will be based on the best available research and a comprehensive community consultation process.

The guideline is being developed according to the National Health and Medical Research Council’s recommended process.

The guideline will be informed by research evidence (building on the synthesis completed in 2020), reviews of previous autism guidelines and the experiences of individuals on the autism spectrum and their families accessing therapy and support services, and comprehensive community consultation.

Read more