Cognitive Assessment Observation Checklist & video of Lydia Meem's presentation on Autism Behaviours during Cognitive and Developmental Assessments at Asia Pacific Autism Conference (APAC) 2015
School counsellors and health professionals: Diagnostic videos and Counselling and Intervention videos
Autism Understanding's Youtube videos
"Tips for Parents on Autism Diagnosis Disclosure: When and how to explain autism to your child" Video Interview with Lydia Meem and Liz Watson, National Projects Manager, Positive Partnerships
Social Stories and Social Skills Videos
My Favourite Resources, Books, and Sensory Toys
APPS for Autism and Asperger's
Children with autism & Aspergers and their parents
Adolescents with autism & Asperger's and their parents
Adults with autism & Asperger's
Support Groups and Caring for Parents and Carers
Autism Research (including Opportunities to Participate in Autism Research)
ABC's All In the Mind Podcasts: Neurotribes (History of Autism); Girls and Autism; On the Spectrum; The Social Brain
The Autism Professionals Circle is open to professionals who work with individuals with autism, including:
Please note: This forum is not intended for individuals with autism, parents or carers, but there are many other resources on the Autism Understanding website which you may find helpful, including:
Would you like:
"Hi Lydia, I really appreciate your initiative of this Forum which gives us the opportunity to connect with peers particularly expert like yourself, and receive invaluable feedback." (Dr Eliza Ahmed, Educational and Developmental Psychologist)
"Enjoying being part of the group. I'm sure there will be a lot that I can learn!" (Renata Rankin, Learning Support Teacher)
"Wow – what a great forum / resource. I have a feeling I will be glued to my screen for a bit. So glad I found you!" (Andrea Broughton, Early Intervention)
"I think the website is a great idea!" (Margi Shaw, Behaviour Support Practitioner)
The Association of Psychologists in Developmental Disability Services
For more information about the benefits for your organisation of partnering with the Autism Professionals Circle, email Lydia Meem at autismunderstanding@gmail.com
If you'd like to try the Circle first, why not sign up for a free 7 day membership?
Click here to select the Monthly, Annual or 7 day Free Trial membership that suits you. Make a note of your username and password, as you'll need these to access the forum.
As soon as your subscription is processed, you should receive two emails. One email confirms your subscription details and includes a tax invoice/receipt for your records. The other email includes an activation link. Please click on the link in the activation email to complete your membership registration. If you don't see both emails in your inbox, please check your Spam folder, mark it as "Not spam" and add office@autismunderstanding.com.au to your email address book. Some workplaces reject our emails as they mention words like username and password. If you don't receive the two emails immediately in your inbox, please email us at autismunderstanding@gmail.com and we will attempt to resolve it as quickly as possible.
Once you've clicked on the activation link, you should be redirected to the login page for the forum, where you can enter your username and password at the top right side of the page. If you have forgotten your username or password, click on the prompts for help. Sometimes people get blocked if they misspell their username or password or forget to include spaces. If you have any difficulties logging in to the forum, please email us at autismunderstanding@gmail.com and we resolve it as quickly as possible.
Looking forward to hearing from you in the forum discussions!
Malcolm Smith
BA(Psych), MAPS
Psychologist, Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner
Malcolm has extensive experience as a psychologist working with people with disabilities and their families in the public, private and non-government sectors. His areas of specialty are complex behaviour support, anger, conflict resolution and couples counselling. Malcolm loves to listen and work together with children, adolescents and adults and their families, to build skills in regulating emotions, identifying triggers and preventing challenging behaviours at home, school and in the community. Malcolm has provided psychological reports, positive behavior support plans, and therapy for individuals, couples and families, including children in out-of-home care. Malcolm is a Certified Therapist in Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). He is a Nationally Accredited Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner. Malcolm served as the Chairperson of the Australian Psychological Society’s Hunter Branch from 2012-2018.
We provide tailored workshops on practical autism strategies to suit your organisation's professional development needs. Training modules we offer include:
Features of Autism Spectrum Disorder (including signs of autism in toddlers, children and adolescents, and discussion of the causes and prevalence of autism)
Positive Behaviour Support and Stress Reduction Strategies (including prevention and response strategies)
Building Partnerships with Families (including working with parents who are grieving about their child's diagnosis)
Using Visuals
Building Social Skills
Managing Change
Differential and Dual Diagnosis*
Screening and Assessment Tools*
The Clinical Value of Behavioural Observations during Cognitive and Developmental Assessments*
Modules marked with an * are designed for diagnosticians including psychologists, paediatricians and child psychiatrists.
You can mix and match from the modules above, or for smaller groups, we can offer a more informal Q&A style session, where participants can discuss the behaviours of students or clients they are working with. Our presenter Lydia Meem will offer tools and strategies to address particular concerns.
Examples of professional development days Lydia Meem has been requested to present include:
PD day for a large independent school, with Features of Autism presentation to whole staff (approx 150 staff) followed by Positive Behaviour Support sessions tailored for Junior School, Middle School and Senior School staff
PD day for a small independent school (approx 30 staff) covering Features of Autism and Positive Behaviour Support (admin staff also attended the first session)
Behavioural Q&A session for small independent school (4 staff) - three hours to discuss behaviours of particular students in detail, practical strategies for the classroom and playground, and provide assistance with accessing funding sources for families
PD day for psychologists working in developmental disabilities, focusing on differential and dual diagnosis, screening and assessment tools, and therapy resources
PD day for psychologists and disability support and counselling staff in a University, focusing on strategies for high-functioning adults with autism
Full 2-day practical autism strategies workshop for teachers in an independent school with students with challenging behaviours and a variety of learning needs
PD for respite support workers who are starting to work with children and adolescents with autism
Behavioural Q&A session for preschool staff working with children who may be showing some signs of autism
For more information about our Customised Training, please contact us on 02 4967 3363 or email
As Student-free days tend to be popular for school-based training, we recommend you book well in advance to secure your preferred dates.