Thank you to everyone who joined us for “Supporting the Spectrum”.  It was a wonderful night, and we hope everyone who came found it worthwhile.  We would like to express our gratitude to our sponsors – Cessnock Leagues Club, Eye Designs, John Wallace Wines, Ann Barry and Nicole Newman- and our special guest performer Sophee Jean for entertaining us in the break. A very special thanks goes to our speakers – Lee Sturgeon, Daryl and Daniel Giles OAM. Their talks, with a focus on support, inclusion and building on strengths, were both informative and inspirational.

Drawing on his experiences over the last twenty-eight years, Lee shared key lessons on how to support autistic children and young people in their developmental journey. Fundamental ideas, such as starting early, taking a focused approach based on strengths, managing anxiety and sensory needs and engaging with appropriate therapists, form the basis for successful development.  Lee’s informative talk based on his many years of working with individuals on the Spectrum provided insight and many tips and strategies for supporting individuals and promoting inclusion. An outline of Lee’s talk can be found here.

Daniel’s story began when he was diagnosed with Autism at two and a half.  His schooling in a combination of specialist and mainstream settings wasn’t always easy but with the right support he was able to thrive. He earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic design with Honours and his advocacy work for Autism led to him being awarded the Order of Australia in 2017.  Daniel has spoken both nationally and internationally about the importance of inclusion and the role of the community in supporting those who are autistic. Earlier this year, Daniel participated in Aspect Australia’s Autism Understanding Day campaign.  You can watch his video here.

Together with his father Daryl, Daniel gave us an insight into the importance of working with strengths and interests, building routines and consistency and always looking to the next step in building the future you want. As Daniel says “being Autistic is in many ways simply another way of being”. Daniel’s educational journey and his achievements in both his professional and personal life exemplified what can be achieved with persistence and determination.  For more of Daniels work or to connect with Daniel and Daryl click here.