Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House that Hospital staff working with children in Queensland are not sufficiently trained/educated on autism and are therefore unable to adequately meet the needs of children with autism in their care. With the current prevalence rate of autism for children being 1 in 68, this is unacceptable. This lack of understanding and education often results in increased difficulties experienced by the child, their families and hospital staff administering treatments or procedures to children with autism. Procedures are often more difficult, time consuming, and require higher staff attendance because of the approach or communication of the treatment/procedure. Involving family members in the plan for treatment/procedure, including the communication of the treatment/procedure to the child, would reduce the time taken and the number of staff required to carry out the treatment or procedure. As well as reducing cost it would also reduce the stress for the child, their families and hospital staff.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to enforce mandatory annual or bi-annual training/education for paediatric nurses, doctors and therapists on autism. The training should include an overview of autism, a sensory overload simulation, messages from families and children with autism themselves on what makes their treatment or procedures easier and recommended best practices to include all treatment/procedures to be communicated privately to parent/carer without the child present and the parent/carer to be actively involved in the planning of this treatment.