Guest Lotok Posted April 2, 2012 Report Share Posted April 2, 2012 My wife and I want move and are still taking steps to make it possoble. The job I did for the last 7 years is not on the list for a skilled visa, so I have moved job role to one that is more sought after (software developer). After I rack up a couple of years experience, then we have a much better chance. Anyway, that aside, my one major worry is my eldest child, almost 3 years old at present, has autism. We do not yet know the degree of the disorder as we are awaiting diagnosis but know he is on the spectrum. Has anyone first hand experience of the support and networks available to help autistic children in Perth? I am guessing we won't have anything free like in the UK but getting an idea of costs and whats out there would be of use. Many Thanks James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scot01 Posted April 2, 2012 Report Share Posted April 2, 2012 Hi James Two organsiations worth contacting are the Austism Association of WA http://www.autism.org.au/ and Autism West - http://www.autismwest.org.au/ For Government schools the Centre for Inclusive Schooling (CIS) recently changed its name to SEND, deals with support for kids with disabilities in school. They will sort out whether your child will qualify for things like a teacher assistant (TA) in school. Check here - http://cis.perthwa.net/contact.html I'm sure they would give advice. Catholic education (private schools in WA but low fees) would also fund a TA free of charge. What I don't know however is how it works if you are only on a temporary visa. Other private schools also attract funding for kids with disabilities from Commonwealth funding. There are many school, both govt and private that have units attached where kids would go for core lessons and be integrated with the rest of the school for other subjects- it would be depend on the 'level' of autism. Kids with high functioning autism are generally catered for with in-class support. You'll find there is lots of workshops and support groups for parents, many free of charge. There is also lots of research in WA for things like autism. When people move to WA they usually stay so out of all of the states in Australia there is more chance here of doing longitudinal studies without the kids moving away. The Telethon Institute for Child Health research is particularly interested in autism - http://autism.childhealthresearch.org.au/ As in the UK, autism is diagnosed by a multi-discipline panel. Bring every piece of paper with you that you have on your child if you come. I think that the Disability Services commission will provide free speech therapy services for children with autism under the age of six and may be after that as well. - http://www.disability.wa.gov.au/forindividuals/disabilityservices/earlyyearsconsultancy.html Hopefully this will give you some leads. Fiona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lotok Posted April 2, 2012 Report Share Posted April 2, 2012 Thanks very much yoko for such a detailed post, plenty of links for us to take a look at. From what you have said it sounds like there is more support than I thought there would be already, which is great news. Many Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest theclarkes Posted February 21, 2013 Report Share Posted February 21, 2013 Hi. My daughter is 4 next month and we are considering starting visa app. She is diagnosed ASD and has limited speech but can sign to communicate. Anyone successfully moved from UK to Australia with ASD children? What obstacles did you come up against? What hoops did you have to jump through to make the move? Any advice on schooling in Australia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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