Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre
Raising Children Network launches a special website for parents of young children with Autism
The Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre is pleased to have contributed to the content of a new Raising Children Network website.
The Federal Government and the Raising Children Network launched a new national website for parents of young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) on 24 February 2009.
Intended to assist and support Australian families and professionals with parenting information, resources, and improve connections between families, professionals, and services, the site will deliver quality-assured Australian specific information.
One in every 160 Australian children has an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The parents raising these children often report a lack of online information specific to the Australian local experience.
“We know from research that parents of a child with a disability actively use the internet to search for more information on their child’s condition but that until now there was a dearth of evidence-based information and very limited details of the resources and support available within Australia,” said the Raising Children Network’s spokesperson, Warren Cann of the Parenting Research Centre.
The three main features of this website are;
- Learning about Autism Spectrum Disorder – information to better understand the condition
- Parent Guide to Therapies – detailed descriptions of common therapies and interventions including reference to the evidence, safety and financial considerations
- Interactive Autism Service Pathfinder to help parents navigate the ASD service and support system in each State and Territory
Online discussion forums are also available for parents and professionals to share experiences and tips about raising children with ASD.
To further support parents and carers in finding and using local services and resources, this event also marked the launch of MY NEIGHBOURHOOD. My Neighbourhood has been three years in development and features detailed aerial maps and up to date local service information for the whole country. Now parents all over Australia can get a bird’s eye view of their family-friendly neighbourhood and participate by sharing information with fellow parents about playgrounds and other helpful destinations. (There is a dedicated Autism set under Specialty Health.)
The ASD content being launched on the Raising Children Network website is the first wave of more ASD specific information and resources that will be added to the website over the next six months.
With over 11 million visitors since its launch in May 2006, the Raising Children website has established itself as the most reliable and helpful Australian online resource supporting parents of young children. It is freely accessible with quality assured information based on the best available research and delivered in a range of user-friendly formats using state of the art communication and web technologies.
“The Raising Children website’s aim is to resource and support parents and to celebrate the diversity and abilities of all children. Most of the information on the website is relevant to all parents but the purpose of the section dealing with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder is to provide their parents with relevant information on issues specific to their situation,” said Mr Cann.