The Autism Early Childhood Champions Project supports Early Childhood Education and Care Services to break down barriers to inclusion and create positive outcomes for children with Autism in Early Childhood Settings.
Over the past two years, the Project has supported in training Champions from over 150 Early Learning and Care Services across both Metro and Regional areas while also providing ongoing support to each centre.
Autism Champions are nominated from a range of Early Childhood Services to receive intensive training and support to help make a long-term difference to children with Autism and their families. From the metro area to regional communities, we have Champions across WA!
This program has a strong partnership with the WA Inclusion Agency, where many Inclusion Professionals have also participated in both the consultations and the training days. This has been extremely beneficial for the participating Early Childhood Services, as there is a consistency in best practice strategies and supports, resulting in positive outcomes for the children and their families.
Champions are creating authentic and meaningful inclusion for all children in mainstream early childhood settings. Educators have shared that their knowledge and understanding of Autism has significantly increased as a result of being part of the Autism Champions Project and they now feel confident and empowered to make positive changes to support the children in their services to reach their full potential.
Our Autism Champions Team provide the following to each service:
There are a number of factors that can impact finding a suitable service for your child. The below list of questions may help you when choosing an Early Childhood Service for your child and guide your initial discussion with services:
Please note: This list should act as a guide only and not a direct recommendation.
See below for a list of participating services in the Autism Early Childhood Champions Project!
For more information on the program, please contact the Inclusion Support Team at the Autism Association of Western Australia on (08) 9489 8900 or champions@autism.org.au
Supported by the WA Inclusion Agency. The Autism Early Childhood Champions Program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment.