Darling Downs Health (DDH) has taken an important step in strengthening early autism-screening supports for young children across the region by hosting in-person training for their staff in the Social Attention and Communication Surveillance (SACS) tool, developed by the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC) at La Trobe University.
Maddie Francis, OTARC’s training coordinator, worked closely with Darling Downs Health to ensure staff could access the program in the most effective way. After discussions between the two organisations, it was agreed that an in-person format would provide the best opportunity for staff from across the region to come together, build their skills, ask questions, and develop confidence in using the tool. To support this, Associate Professor Josephine Barbaro, the developer of SACS and a leading researcher in early autism identification, travelled to Toowoomba to deliver the training.
SACS is an evidence-based tool that enables health professionals to track young children’s social communication behaviours from 11 months through to preschool age. It provides a reliable way to identify children showing early signs that may indicate an increased likelihood of autism, allowing families to access guidance and supports much earlier than in the past.
Darling Downs Health serves a population of more than 300,000 people across a vast 90,000 square kilometre region of southern inland Queensland. With Toowoomba Hospital as its major centre, the service also includes rural hospitals, multipurpose health facilities, and community health services across the Southern Downs, Western Downs, Goondiwindi, Maranoa, and South Burnett regions. In such a geographically broad service area, equipping frontline staff with the right tools and training is essential. By investing in this training and providing staff with direct access to Associate Professor Barbaro’s expertise, Darling Downs Health has enhanced its ability to support Autistic children and to ensure families across the region can access timely pathways to care.
View our training programs on our website here.
