Understanding Autism Today: The Monash AllPlay Approach to Mental Health

Description

Join us for Understanding Autism Today: The Monash AllPlay Approach to Mental Health, Inclusion and Care, a thought-provoking webinar exploring contemporary understandings of autism and the evolving approaches needed to support people with autism across the lifespan.

Featuring Professor Nicole J. Rinehart and hosted by Emeritus Professor Cheryl Dissanayake AM, this session asks: how do we give children with autism the best start in life? We'll examine the role of community-based education, sport, and the arts, and their lasting impact on physical and mental health - from childhood through to university and the workforce.

Through expert discussion and audience questions, the webinar will explore current perspectives on autism research and practice, grounded in the Monash AllPlay Triple Logic framework - which brings together evidence of what works, the practicalities of delivering it at scale, and the systems and community ownership needed to sustain it. We'll examine why inclusion is most powerful when it moves out of the clinic and into the everyday places where children and young people already live, learn, and play, and reimagine how the next generation of university students can participate in research that translates directly into real-world impact.

This session is an opportunity for alumni, staff, students, and the broader community to hear from leading experts and engage in a meaningful conversation about the future of autism care, inclusion, and support.

What We Will Cover:

• Monash's Historic Legacy - a look back at the roots of Australian autism research at Monash, from the pioneering work of the late Professor Margot Prior AO and Dr Lawrie Bartak to the foundational clinical insights built at the Monash Krongold Clinic.
• The Shift to a Strength-Based Approach - how the field has evolved from hospital models of care toward a strengths-based model built on a simple but powerful idea: there is no single right way to participate.
• The Next Frontier in Higher Education - moving beyond basic "special considerations" toward genuine spaces of acceptance, peer-to-peer support, and community, exemplified by AllPlay's national model engaging university students themselves as peer facilitators for young people with autism.

This webinar, framed with deep respect and inclusivity, is a must-attend for anyone looking to help shape a more supportive and understanding future for neurodivergent individuals.