Free workshop about autism

A free workshop for parents and carers of young children with an autism spectrum disorder will be held at the Beachside Family Centre in Umina.

The Early Days program will be running the special workshop from 9.30am to 3.30pm on Friday, December 3.

The workshop is aimed at mothers, fathers and other family carers of children six years and under who have an autism spectrum disorder or are going through the assessment and diagnosis process, according to centre facilitator Ms Debbie Notara.

"This is the second workshop being run by Early Days at Beachside Family Centre," Ms Notara said.

"The last one proved so successful that we are hoping to run one per term in the future covering a variety of issues that parents and carers of children with autism find themselves facing.

"Helping families with children with autism has become a high priority given the increase in numbers of children being diagnosed.

"The more families who register interest, the more workshops will be available in the future."

The workshop is free of charge with morning tea and lunch provided for participants. Child care will not be available on the day.

To register, contact Early Days on 1800 334 155.

"Early Days is a national program funded by the Federal Government under the Helping Children with Autism package," Ms Notara said.

"This workshop can offer the opportunity to learn about play development in children with autism, about practical tips for encouraging your child to play with toys and with other children and about the development of pretend play."

Beachside Family Centre is located in the grounds of Umina Public School on Sydney Ave.

Press release, 3 Oct 2010 Debbie Notara, Beachside Family Centre