LOCAL autism support group, 'Alpine Valleys Autism Community' (AVAC), held its first public community information night on Monday, 26 May.
The free event, held at the Myrtleford P-12 College, provided information about understanding autism and neurodiversity and featured guest speaker Dr Sandhya Menon, a Melbourne-based autistic and ADHD developmental psychologist.
AVAC co-founder, Sean Hynes said despite the stormy weather, the event attracted approximately 60 attendees.
"There was a good mix of locals and visitors, with mental health and healthcare professionals, parents, teachers, adults who suspect they’re autistic, young people and so on," he said.
“The night went really well; there was a lot of interaction and questions from the crowd.
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"We designed this meeting as an opportunity for both our community and professionals to update their understanding of autism.
“Sandhya was a significant get for our event; she only recently presented at conferences in Melbourne and Singapore.
“She’s one of the biggest voices in the space in Australia, but despite having that position, she was very clearly giving this presentation from her personal point of view.
“Just having someone to say I’m a professional psychologist and I’m autistic: it would have been mind-blowing for many people.
“I had professionals, parents and teachers come up to me afterwards to thank us and said it helped a lot.
"We were hoping the event would be a great opportunity for people with varying interests in autism, both professional and personal, to improve their understanding and we're confident we achieved that.
“This definitely won’t be the last time we hold an information session in town.
"If we can get another grant, it would be great for our community."
For more information about AVAC, visit: http://www.alpineautism.org.au/ or email: info@alpineautism.org.au
For more information about Dr Sandhya Menon's work, Onwards and Upwards Psychology, visit: https://www.onwardsandupwardspsychology.com.au/ or visit her Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/onanduppsych
The free event was made possible by a 'Connecting Carers in their Community' grant.
