2021 Annual Report

Collaboration with Health Care Health and Dental Training Program This year we launched our online Health and Dental Training Program for health professionals on strategies to reduce anxiety and increase engagement of the person with Autism in a health- care environment. This is the first online training program for health and dental professionals in Australia and available for allied health professionals at no cost.

Alongside a number of dentists and health professionals throughout Perth, we developed training modules and resources to improve access and health care experiences of people with Autism. Since the launch, 189 professionals Australia-wide and internationally, have registered to complete the training. As a result of this project, Sydney Children’s Hospital expressed interest in utilising these resources to train their nurses and we began a partnership with the Oral Health Therapy Department of Curtin University to provide a dental clinic for people with Autism. As part of this partnership, clinics will be run where the Oral Health Therapy students will be supported by staff from the Autism Association to deliver dental treatment in a quiet and supportive environment. Mental Health Project Following the clinical workshops last year, we completed the development of a range of resources for mental health professionals to support people with Autism access mental health services. We also expanded the range of resources to include important information for individuals and carers to prepare for appointments and communicate their needs when seeing a health professional for the first time. These resources include: • Information about accessing help for mental health concerns • Finding a private practitioner • Making mental health appointments a success • Preparing for an appointment

Autism Association of Western Australia - Annual Report 2021 40