Eligible teens with autism spectrum disorder will get Artificial Intelligence training
![Recent funding has been allocated to a university in Western Australia to help educate young people with autism spectrum disorder about Artificial Intelligence.
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This government-funded initiative could help young people with autism spectrum disorder improve their future job prospects
Key points:
- Eligible teenagers with autism spectrum disorder will receive training in Artificial Intelligence as Curtin University receives $360,000 in government funding over two years
- The initiative in Western Australia is also expected to improve career opportunities and socialisation skills for young people with autism spectrum disorder
- Extra support for people with autism spectrum disorder is also anticipated through the recently announced National Autism Strategy, although some disability experts have raised concerns
Hundreds of young Western Australians with autism spectrum disorder, also known as ASD, will receive training on Artificial Intelligence due to recent government grant funding.
Approximately 150 teens and young people with ASD in Perth, Bunbury and Mandurah regions will be trained to use Artificial Intelligence while increasing their employability, technological skills and social connections.
The Australian Government will grant Curtin University $360,000 dollars over two years to engage young people with ASD between the ages of 12 and 18 in training boot-camps, mentorships and online learning to help them to be more competitive in future job searches.
Around 42 percent of people with ASD were employed in 2022, compared to almost 85 percent of people without disability.
Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth explained the value of increasing education related to Artificial Intelligence and the specific program benefits for people with ASD.
“Artificial intelligence is playing a more significant role in all of our lives, and for young Australians, the ability to navigate and harness is increasingly important,” she said.
“This innovative project will help up to 150 young autistic Australians at a critical time in their lives to better participate in their community and improve their education and employment outcomes.
“Through SARC-funded projects like this one, we are delivering community-led solutions for the community, by the community.”
Approximately one in 40 people in Australia have ASD as per recent estimates from Aspect, also known as Autism Spectrum Australia.
Member for Swan in Western Australia Zaneta Mascarenhas also praised the Artificial Intelligence training and education to improve the lives of young people with ASD.
“Supporting young Australians to embrace cutting-edge technology like Artificial Intelligence will give them a head start in a rapidly evolving job market while also fostering social inclusion,” she said.
“This initiative highlights the Albanese Government’s dedication to ensuring no one is left behind as we move toward a more innovative and inclusive future.”
While building social connections and developing skills are key factors in this program, other reasons for training teens in Artificial Intelligence include helping young people to:
- understand the ethical concerns such as data security and privacy;
- adapt to ongoing technological developments; and
- develop critical thinking skills.
However, this Artificial Intelligence initiative is not the only program associated with Curtin University to educate young people with ASD.
Curtin’s Autism Academy for Software Quality Assurance is an initiative to foster the interest of young people with ASD related to skills required in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry such as robotics, data science and Artificial Intelligence.
Curtin University Professor Tele Tan, who is the founder and director of Curtin’s Autism Academy for Software Quality Assurance, commented on the importance of tailored programs to increase the accessibility of training for people with ASD in an interview with Curtin University.
“There is an amazing pool of untapped talent in the autism community that is just waiting to be discovered,” he said.
“[…] School can be a difficult journey for autistic students and unfortunately many leave school without knowing what career options are available to them or without the proper qualifications to get them there.”
Although programs such as Curtin’s Autism Academy for Software Quality Assurance are helping people with ASD, the Australian Government also recently announced the first National Autism Strategy.
The new strategy was guided by consultations with people who have ASD, their families, carers, researchers, experts in the disability sector and the National Autism Strategy Oversight Council.
As part of the National Autism Strategy, strategies and programs will be established to improve:
- social inclusion;
- economic inclusion;
- diagnoses, related services and support; and
- general and mental health.
Over the next two years, the Australian Government has allocated $42.3 million dollars to the first Action Plan of the National Autism Strategy.
Some of the included initiatives are:
- community awareness and education programs;
- a peer support program for people with ASD;
- the re-evaluation of current programs for people with ASD; and
- research to accurately identify how many people in Australia have ASD.
However, some disability advocates expressed that people with lived experience of ASD should continue to be included in the strategy discussions, according to Monash University Psychology Professor Nicole Rinehart.
“I am concerned that if we do not work collaboratively across the clinical, research and community sectors, we could lose the opportunity to make meaningful, world-leading progress for the autism community,” she said.
Read more about the National Autism Strategy, announced on January 14, 2025, in this Talking Disability news article: Disability experts are cautious of the recently announced National Autism Strategy.
What are your thoughts on training young people with ASD in Artificial Intelligence?
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