Message from the CEO
Autism SA has continued to pursue the vision ‘Leading the way through knowledge, understanding and acceptance’ in 2007.
In March the Autism Trust Fund sponsored the cast and crew of ‘Aspie Live’ to attend and perform at the 2007 Biennial Australian Autism Conference at the Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast. The Aspie Live show was a great success and received the accolades of attendees including Professor Tony Attwood who described it as: “The funniest show I have ever seen”. Autism SA had a strong presence of board members, senior management and coordinators at this conference which was very pleasing.
In April we presented a workshop by Dr Isabelle Henault focusing on dealing with intimacy and sexuality in Asperger syndrome. This difficult topic was very well received and marked another new direction in our major Training and Development activities.
The theme of the national conference was ‘Creative Futures’ which was adopted by the Australian Advisory Board on Autism Spectrum Disorders (formerly the Autism Council of Australia) as the theme for Autism Awareness Australia Week (13 – 19 May 2007).
Autism SA expanded on this theme for our second State Conference ‘Creative Futures – Current Findings’ which featured a range of National and International Speakers and was again well supported by professionals, parents and clients.
Our second Awards Presentation Dinner was a great success and we look forward to growing this initiative which has proven to be a wonderful platform to recognise those who do so much in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Looking to the future, Autism SA will be entering a new phase later in the year when we move premises. Fisher Street has been our home for over 30 years but growing client numbers (currently 2900) and expanding services means that we must find more suitable office space. The Board of Management has approved the sale of the Fisher Street site and is currently pursuing alternative office accommodation. Please be aware that if you observe “For Sale” signs at Fisher Street and related advertising, that we will aim for this to cause minimum disruption to our services and programs. We will keep you all informed of developments as they progress.
We are also pleased to continue leading the way in offering a range of Training and Development opportunities in the second half of the year - please read ‘The Autiser’ for further information or consult the website www.autismsa.org.au.
Jon Martin
CEO Autism SA