At the Centre of Excellence, we’re focused on building a strong evidence base to inform the development of accredited curriculum, learning resources, micro- credentials, and training solutions that address the most pressing challenges facing the ECEC workforce. Each edition we’ll share our latest research informing the Centre’s initiatives. 

Our Autism initiative was developed in response to the needs of both families and sector, it focuses on equipping educators with the skills, knowledge, and understanding of autism to better support children and their families. 

The scoping, research and engagement phase for the Autism initiative included a desktop review of national and international literature, analysis of existing professional development courses and consultation with sector experts though our Autism Advisory Group. 

The research shows a pressing need for evidence-based practices (EBPs) to become central to professional learning. While many educators are eager to support autistic children, gaps remain in their understanding of what approaches are proven to work.  Recommendations include a strong focus on communication, social interaction, play-based learning, providing opportunities to observe and practice EBPs, and the use of multimedia and lived experience voices to enhance learning engagement.

You can read the full report here; in time we’ll create downloadable infographics to support its dissemination. 

This is just the beginning for this initiative. Work is now underway to create training products for early childhood educators and professional development for TAFE SA lecturing staff.