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The ACT-NOW Project

Initially, the ACT-NOW project was funded from July 2004 - June 2007 (Stage One). The strategy impacted on parents, early years service providers and the community. The development of nine Regional Autism Coordination Teams (ReACTs) to facilitate cross-programme partnership successfully harnessed the good will and interest of a range of views focusing on a common goal. (Click here for the Stage One report, pdf 456kb)

Lisa Neville (Minister for Children) allocated non-recurrent funds to continue with the ACT-NOW strategy from July 2007 - December 2008 (Stage Two). This was an opportunity to consolidate what had already been achieved. Stage two focussed on providing support, supervision, mentoring and consultation for professionals working with young children with autism and their families. (Click here for the Stage Two report, pdf 345kb)

Non-recurrent funds continued from December 2008 - December 2009. (Stage Three). Our focus during stage three has been on journal clubs, case study groups, master classes, updating the ‘ASDs in the Preschool Years’ manual and supporting clinicians who are providing the ‘Preschoolers with Autism Parent Education and Skills Training Programme’. We continued to expand the website with fact sheets and update the regional training calendars. (Click here for the Stage Three report, pdf 270kb)

Funding from January 2010 - July 2013 has now been allocated for Monash University Centre for Developmental Psychiatry & Pyschology (CDPP) to continue with the ACT-NOW project. (Click here for the Stage Four report, pdf 160kb)

 

ACT-NOW Aims

In line with the goals of the Early Childhood Intervention Services vision and key priorities statement (DEECD, 2003), the aim of the ACT-NOW strategy has been to build skills and capacity across each DEECD region in Victoria in the area of Early Childhood (0-6 years) to enable each network of regional service providers to:

  • Identify Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs)

  • Provide a more integrated range of evidence based early interventions for young children with autism and their families that will complement and interface with other agencies and services

  • Promote understanding of PDDs in the wider community and strategies for working effectively with these children and their families

  • Improve linkages between service providers & strengthen partnerships between services and families

  • The training and consultation provided by ACT-NOW is based on the principles of best practice in autism early intervention. The strategy also embraces the principles of best practice in early childhood intervention outlined in the ECIS Programme Framework document (Department of Human Services, 2005).

 

The ACT-NOW Team

The ACT-NOW team is based at the Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology at Monash University. The members of the team have experience and expertise in specialist service provision, community and professional education, service development, support and consultation, and family advocacy. The team is internationally recognised for its research in the field of Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

Directors

  Prof. Bruce Tonge  Child Psychiatrist

  Dr Avril Brereton  Special Educator, Early Childhood

Manager

  Ms Kerry Bull  Special Educator, Early Childhood

Web Support

  Mr Paul Bower  Research Assistant

Other

Specialist staff from within the Centre for Developmental Psychiatry & Psychology (including: Psychologists, Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Paediatricians) are employed on a sessional basis as required.

 

ReACTs - Regional Autism Co-ordination Teams

The aims of the program are being achieved partly through the development of a Regional Autism Co-ordination Team (ReACT) in each Department of Education and Early Childhood Development region in Victoria. Members of the ReACTs are people working within a specific sector with young children with autism and their families. For example, one Preschool Field Officer may represent preschool staff in the region. There is also parent representation on each ReACT.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) recently allocated funds to employ a ReACT Coordinator in each region of Victoria.

Each ReACT meets regularly with the ReACT Coordinator to identify and respond to autism specific training and consultation needs. Sub-groups work on specific issues (eg. transition to school). ReACTs have also developed regional action plans that look at a range of broader issues such as developing service directories, links with paediatricians and information for GPs.

 

Training

In partnership with the ReACT, and harnessing the advice, knowledge and expertise of regional service providers, the ACT-NOW team provides a range of training opportunities tailored to meet the needs of each region. Regional calendars outline all training related to young children with an autism spectrum disorder and their families provided by both ACT-NOW and local service providers.

Anyone who is running training in Victoria that would be relevant for professionals working with young children with autism and their families can send the details to Paul Bower.

 

Information Provision

Newsletters with information provided by each ReACT Coordinator are available on the ACT-NOW website to share information and innovative practice across the state.

Fact Sheets

Fact sheets have been written and posted on the ACT-NOW website to provide accessible, evidence based information for parents and professionals. Fact sheets have primarily been written by Dr Avril Brereton in response to requests from ReACT members or to complement training that has been provided by ACT-NOW staff.

 

Specialist Consultation & Training

1. Journal Club

Journal clubs offer the opportunity for professionals to develop their critical appraisal skills. In a journal club discussion, articles are evaluated as to their quality and also whether and how the findings can be applied to practice. Being a member of a journal club encourages the professional to set time aside to read articles, keep abreast of current research and issues and gain evidence for best practice.

Journal Clubs are an important component of many of the ReACT meetings. Power point presentations of recent and relevant article will be posted on the website by ACT-NOW to provide an easy and accessible way for managers and practitioners to hold journal clubs within their own service.

2. Preschoolers with Autism: An education and skills training programme for parents

‘Preschoolers with Autism’ (Brereton & Tonge, 2005) is an effective, manualised parent education programme developed at Monash University, funded by the commonwealth government . The programme  was developed by the authors as a response to their concern that parents and carers of young children with autism can easily be left out of the learning loop right from the start. Their aim in designing this programme was to help parents/carers of young children with autism to understand what autism is and how it affects their child’s development, play and behaviour, communication skills and ability to socialise with others. The authors view is that families do better when parents/carers have the opportunity to work in partnership with professionals. Meeting with other parents whose children have autism to share feelings and experiences is also important. It is a 20 week programme with 10 group sessions (90 minutes) and 10 individual sessions (60 minutes) for parents of preschoolers recently diagnosed with autism.

ACT-NOW provides 2-day intensive training for practitioners who are interested in providing this evidence-based programme to parents in their local area. The training will be held in Melbourne and is free for professionals working in Victorian early childhood intervention services.

ACT-NOW will continue to provide support and supervision to clinicians who are currently delivering the parent programme.

3. Teaching Materials

ACT NOW has developed and published teaching materials for a series of three 2-hour workshops titled ‘ASDs in the Preschool Years: A Series of Three Workshops’ (Brereton, Bull & Tonge, 20069.  The manual includes speaker’s notes, a CD-Rom of the Power point presentations, including imported DVD footage, handouts and suggestions for further reading.  The workshops cover the core features & early signs of autism, communication and social interaction skills and understanding and managing difficult behaviour.

The manual for these workshops was developed to provide Early Childhood Intervention Services (ECIS) with teaching materials that could be used to provide ongoing autism training to parents and the early childhood sector.

ECIS practitioners must be trained and accredited by ACT-NOW before using the teaching materials. ACT-NOW provides a one-day train-the-trainer session.

During stage four of the ACT-NOW project further teaching materials will be developed and published on the following topics:

  • Transition to early childhood services

  • Transition to Primary school

  • Understanding the early signs of Autism (for Maternal and Child Health Nurses)

  • Autism and daily living skills


4. Master classes

Two master class series will be available in 2010.

Speakers will be invited to present teaching sessions on a range of current issues and factsheets will be linked to master classes.

Master classess will be filmed and made availble for those in rural areas to view at a time arranged through their ReACT.

  

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