Library / Watch / Think Autism Melbourne 2026
Argument, Think Autism Melbourne 2026
Schools are unprepared for supports moving into community settings, a practitioner warned
In short
A teacher of ten years turned practitioner told Think Autism Melbourne that schools were about to be handed work they had not been trained for, inside a system that measures performance over impact.
Read it instead, 4 minutesThe transcript
The story
One panellist at Think Autism Melbourne had spent ten years as a teacher before moving into private practice, and when the panel on neuroaffirming practice turned to where support was heading, the panellist went straight to the classroom. “Schools are not prepared,” the panellist said.
The question came from Dr Naomi Malone, who facilitated the panel. As support moves increasingly into community settings through initiatives of the kind the panel had been discussing, she asked, what are the opportunities and the challenges for building systems of care that are genuinely affirming? The panel’s opening exchange had already named Thriving Kids as the program on the horizon.
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Sources the story draws on
- Thriving Kids (opens in a new tab), Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, health.gov.au
- Fact sheet: Foundational Supports and Thriving Kids (opens in a new tab), Australian Government, health.gov.au
- Thriving Kids, Early Childhood Update October 2026 (opens in a new tab), Victorian Government, vic.gov.au (Department of Education leading delivery)
More from Think Autism Melbourne 2026
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