Description
Participants will be trained in how to use the Fun with Feelings programme, which is a ten-stage programme to assist autistic children aged 4-8 years old to understand and manage anxiety. Fun with Feelings is based on a deep understanding of autistic individuals, successful clinical research trials of the programme, and cognitive and behavioural principles.
Fun with Feelings was designed to be utilized by parents and carers with their child, in a home setting, but can also be delivered directly to the parent and child within a school or clinic setting. Participants are trained in each of the therapeutic activities that comprise the ten stage programme. The first five stages prepare parents to implement the Fun with Feelings programme with their child, helping them to understand the causes of their child’s anxiety and how to reduce it. The last five stages of the programme are used with the child using the Having Fun with Feelings workbook to help the child to better recognize and process their own emotions.
About the speakers
Prof Tony Attwood PhD With a career spanning five decades, Professor Tony Attwood is considered to be one of the world’s foremost experts on Autism Spectrum Disorder. He has an Honour’s degree in Psychology from the University of Hull, a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Surrey and a PhD from the University of London. He is currently an adjunct Professor at Griffith University in Queensland. Tony has written many publications on Asperger’s Syndrome. His original book, titled Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals was published in 1998 and has been translated into over 25 languages.
Tony operates a diagnostic and psychological support clinic two days a week for children and adults. He also spends considerable time travelling nationally and internationally to present workshops and seminars.
Dr Michelle Garnett PhD is a clinical psychologist who has specialised in autism for nearly three decades. Her peer-reviewed research has informed understanding of early detection, the female profile and the importance of good mental health for autistic individuals. She has co-authored six highly regarded books on autism, five with Prof Tony Attwood. Her 2018 book with Barb Cook is a seminal work on the female presentation, Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism. Her most recent books Having Fun with Feelings on the Autism Spectrum and Ten Steps to Reducing Your Child Anxiety on the Autism Spectrum provide guidance to parents of young children on the autism spectrum. She regularly provides training to four Australian Universities.
