Community consultation closes at 5pm (AEST) on August 29. All members of the community are welcome to provide feedback.
A draft version of the National Guideline for supporting the learning, participation, and wellbeing of autistic children and their families in Australia is now available for community feedback.
The draft Guideline has been developed over a period of nine months by the 15 member Guideline Development Group.
We've systematically reviewed the research evidence, engaged in a range of community consultation activities, and then followed a structured and transparent process to turn this information into a set of draft Recommendations and Good Practice Points.
The next stage of the community consultation is now open!
What you will find
From this webpage you will be able to access the following:
- Draft National Guideline – explains the context for the Guideline and 84 Recommendations and associated Good Practice Points
- Supporting Evidence document – summarises the evidence supporting the Recommendations in the draft National Guideline
- Administration and Technical Report – describes the steps the Guideline Development Group took to develop the draft National Guideline
- Feedback portal – provide feedback via this link.
- Easy read version of Guiding Principles – describes the Guiding Principles of the Guideline in an easy to read format
Learn more
To learn more about the process behind the Guideline development to-date, including the community consultation, and what to expect from the draft Guideline, you can watch the webinar Understanding the Supporting Children National Guideline or find out more about the development of the Guideline.
Draft Guideline for public consultation
Share your feedback on the Draft National Guideline for supporting the learning, participation, and wellbeing of autistic children and their families in Australia
Supporting information

Supporting evidence
A summary of the evidence that informed each of the Recommendations and Good Practice Points. Includes a summary of the judgments that the Guideline development group made when formulating each of those Recommendations and associated Good Practice Points.

Administration and technical report
Outlines each of the steps that have been taken in developing the draft Guideline consistent with the National Health and Medical Research Council's guideline for guidelines.

Easy Read of Guiding Principles
An easy read version of the Guiding Principles of the Guideline

Understanding the Supporting Children National Guideline
Learn more about the process behind the Guideline development to-date, including the community consultation, and what to expect from the draft Guideline you can watch the webinar.
The development of the Guideline
We've systematically reviewed the research evidence, engaged in a range of community consultation activities, and and then followed a structured and transparent process to turn this information into a set of draft Recommendations and Good Practice Points. The initial round of consultation was completed in April 2022. Community consultation activities were undertaken with parents and caregivers, service providers, and the broader autism community, children and young people on the autism spectrum, and autistic people of all ages who communicate primarily in ways other than speech.

Past community consultation activities
See details about our community consultation activities.

Reviews of the evidence
A series of systematic reviews helped inform Recommendations within the Supporting Children National Guideline.

Our team
The team working to develop the Guideline includes people with diverse knowledge, skills, experience, and perspectives. The team members represent key stakeholder communities including autistic individuals, parents/siblings/caregivers, practitioners, and peak bodies.

Contact us
If you have any questions about the Supporting Children National Guideline, please contact us at supportingchildren@autismcrc.com.au.