Focus Area 2: Immediate actions - first 12 months

Commitment 1: Improve environments to support the inclusion of Autistic children and young people in our preschools, primary and secondary school settings.

Target

Improve in-classroom supports for Autistic students to support their individual needs.

Action

Conclude and evaluate the trial of three (3) models of increasing intensity across nine (9) standalone secondary school sites that have Autistic students transitioning into Year 7.

Lead: Department for Education

Commitment 2: Improve the knowledge and understanding of autism amongst our educators, support staff and those connected to our education and care settings.

Target

Provide Autism Awareness and Understanding training to educators in preschool, primary and secondary school settings in South Australia.

Action

Develop and deliver online professional development on how to support Autistic children and young people for South Australia preservice and in-service teachers.

Lead: Department for Education

Commitment 3: Identify ways to improve the transition between educational settings and beyond school.

Target

Embed autism inclusion into policies and procedures.

Action

Develop pilot resources to make neurodiversity-affirming changes in policies and processes to improve the transition between primary, secondary schools and other school environments at three public schools as part of the Autism Inclusion in Secondary Schools initiative.

Lead: Department for Education

Target

Develop supports for Autistic students during transition phases between school settings.

Action

Improvements made to the orientation and transition experience to Vocational Education and Training (VET) higher education for Autistic students, their families and carers.

Lead: TAFE SA

Target

Collaborate with stakeholders to support Autistic students to transition between secondary education settings and higher education.

Action

Engage with industries to raise awareness and understanding among South Australia’s key employers about providing career opportunities to Autistic students.

Lead: Department for Education

Commitment 4: Implement neurodiversity-affirming supports and strategies, tailored to the individual, to ensure Autistic children and students receive the right supports for them.

Target

Explore strategies that are neurodiversity-affirming and focus on supporting Autistic students and their families and carers.

Action

Trial eligible school students to access autism assessments in public schools at no cost.

Lead: Office for Autism (Department of the Premier and Cabinet) and Department for Education