Joining the Dots: Connecting Care for Autistic Young People

For Clinicians in the Doctors in Secondary Schools Program

Join Professor Alessandra (Sandra) Radovini and Dr Bianca Forrester for this thought-provoking webinar on neuro-affirming care for autistic young people in primary care settings. Gain a deeper understanding of the co-occurring conditions, explore the diverse ways autistic young people experience and respond to trauma, and discover practical approaches to connecting families with supports across schools and communities.

Details:

Date:             Thursday 7 August, 2025
Time:             7:00pm - 8:00pm AEST
Presenter:     Professor Alessandra (Sandra) Radovini, Director, Mindful Centre for Training and Research, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne
Facilitator:     Dr Bianca Forrester, The University of Melbourne 
Coordinator: Sam Parkin, DiSS Program Coordinator

Learning Outcomes:

✔ Reflect upon the principles of neuro-affirming care for autistic young people in primary care settings
✔ Describe the prevalence of co-occurring conditions in autistic young people
✔ Describe the broad range of experiences and responses to DSM and non-DSM trauma for autistic young people   
✔ Identify opportunities for connecting services, programs and supports for autistic young people and their families, within schools and communities 
✔ Participate in an interactive online community of practice with peer learning 

Speakers:

Professor Alessandra (Sandra) Radovini

Sandra is the Director of Mindful, the Victorian state-wide teaching and training unit for child and adolescent mental health. Mindful delivers professional education and training for clinicians working in infant, child and youth health services, as well as those working in education, welfare and private practice.

Sandra has also previously served as the Clinical Director of Headspace and Chief Child Psychologist with the Victorian Department of Health where she focused on policy, service system and workforce development for child and youth mental health.

Dr Bianca Forrester

Bianca is a GP specialising in Youth Health and Implementation Science. She is a senior lecturer at the Department of General Practice and Primary Care, supporting the DiSS training program design and delivery. She holds several policy advisory roles in Youth Health, Women’s health, and Mental Health Reform. Bianca is currently undertaking an Industry PhD exploring the implementation of a learning health system model with WVPHN.