Knox City Council is pleased to present the Adolescence and Autism Conference.

This event is for parents, carers and educators who work, live or play in Knox.

An estimated 1 in 70 people have Autism, which is approximately 230,000 Australians. Four times as many males as females are diagnosed and symptoms of Autism may appear in early childhood. The main areas of difficulty are in social communication, social interaction and restricted or repetitive behaviours and interests.

The Adolescence and Autism Conference is for parents, carers and educators of teens between the ages of 12 - 19 years. Presentations on the day will provide information and strategies.

Guest Speakers & Topics

Lyndel Kennedy            Strategies for Secondary School Success and Beyond

Anthea Naylor               Using everyday technology to increase positive behaviours

Stephanie Crawford     Adolescents and Social Skills

Lyndel Kennedy - Lyndel is an author, editor and mother of three, including a son and daughter with Aspergers. Lyndel is the former president of Aspergers Victoria, she has completed the Graduate Diploma of Psychology at Monash University and is now studying the Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) with a thesis on emergent autism at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre. She has delivered presentations on Aspergers for schools, parents, peer groups, councils, organisations and conferences, including the Victorian Autism Conference, Gippsland Autism Conference and Aspect Autism in Education Conference. She is the author of The Hidden Diffability: Discovering Aspergers.

Anthea Naylor - Anthea has many years of experience in teaching both secondary, primary levels in both mainstream, independent and special education settings. She holds a Masters of Education from Deakin University in Special Education and Advanced Certificate in Autism- from ACU. Anthea has broad experience working with Autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities and developmental delays. Anthea currently teachers at the tertiary level in teacher training.

Stephanie Crawford - is a speech pathologist with over 20 years’ experience. She has worked in many settings such as early intervention, the education system and private practise. Currently she is running a small private practise and specialises in complex communication needs. She has a particular interest in teenagers with Autism spectrum disorders and often gives presentations to schools and community groups to explain why social communication can be difficult for people with an autism Specrtum disorder.

Stallholders will be present on the day.

Knox Council won't provide a Certificate of Attendance for the day.

Places for this conference are limited and bookings are essential.

The Conference begins at 9:45am and will finish at 2:45pm.  Registrations open from 9:15am.

Morning tea and a light lunch will be provided.  Vegetarian and Gluten Free options are standard for this event.  Please let us know if you have any other special dietary requirements by emailing Zara at Zara.Ariarta@knox.vic.gov.au