The University of Newcastle, Australia

The University of Newcastle has received $500,000 to continue the delivery of innovative workshops designed to reduce challenging behaviour in young children with autism.

The funding from the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care will see the workshops for early childhood intervention and pre-school staff rolled out to approximately 900 participants from various sectors across the State over the next four years.

Associate Professor Michael Arthur-Kelly from the University's Centre for Special Education and Disability Studies said challenging behaviour covered a range of phenomena like tantrums, aggression, isolation, and other behaviour where the physical or emotional wellbeing of the child or others was at risk.

"The children we deal with often have a range of developmental disabilities and specific needs that arise from other conditions, such as language delay or autism.

"These workshops help frontline workers address these needs and reduce challenging behaviour in young children by designing and implementing individual support programs focusing on social and communication skills."

The workshops will also provide research data on the impact of such training on the knowledge and skills of early childhood professionals.