The Helter Skelter Diary - a book about autism by Nicholas Robinson

From the press release: What's it like to be autistic? Does it hurt? Is it funny? Do people think you're odd, or just wonderful? Nicholas Robinson is uniquely well qualified to explain, which he does with candour, humour, and a wide-eyed sense of adventure.

Instead of being confined or constrained by his mental health issues, Nicholas has been inspired by them to produce a remarkable series of mental health books, of which this is the second. As he says himself, 'there's lots of interesting material to keep any psychiatrist happy and entertained!' The same is just as true even if you're not a psychiatrist.

Contact Nicholas Robinson

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The Key Worker Online Course - Registrations close February 28 - watch this video

The Key Worker Online Course is a dynamic, in-depth online learning experience on the Key Worker/ family liaison part of the Early Childhood Intervention professional's role. The course explores the theories and practices in five areas:

Emotional Support
Information and Advice
Identifying & Addressing Needs
Advocacy
Service Coordination

This 18 Week online interactive course for Early Childhood Intervention Professionals runs from February 24 to June 28, 2014 and costs $550.

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=silL2mUBblY

The course is suitable for Early Childhood Intervention professionals from Australia or overseas who may have a lot experience or very little.

Guide: http://www.m2news.com.au/images/member_images/452bf208bf901322968557227b8f6efe/Course-Guide-KW-Online.pdf

Register: http://www.ecii.org.au/online/

The role of traditional medicine practice in primary health care within Aboriginal Australia: a review of the literature by Stefanie J Oliver

The practice of traditional Aboriginal medicine within Australia is at risk of being lost due to the impact of colonisation. Displacement of people from traditional lands as well as changes in family structures affecting passing on of cultural knowledge are two major examples of this impact.

Prior to colonisation traditional forms of healing, such as the use of traditional healers, healing songs and bush medicines were the only source of primary health care. It is unclear to what extent traditional medical practice remains in Australia in 2013 within the primary health care setting, and how this practice sits alongside the current biomedical health care model.

An extensive literature search was performed from a wide range of literature sources in attempt to identify and examine both qualitatively and quantitatively traditional medicine practices within Aboriginal Australia today.

Visit: http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/9/1/46

National performance indicators to support neonatal hearing screening in Australia

Around half the children born with hearing impairment have no identified risk factor for the condition. It is widely acknowledged that delays in the identification and treatment of permanent childhood hearing impairment may profoundly affect quality of life in terms of language acquisition, social and emotional development, and education and employment prospects.

All states and territories in Australia have universal neonatal hearing screening.
This working paper presents a set of performance indicators for monitoring neonatal hearing screening activity in Australia at a national level.

National evaluation and monitoring provides a measure of how well neonatal hearing screening is achieving its aims and objectives and will enable strengthening of screening practices and administrative processes to further improve outcomes for Australian infants.

Download the full report: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=60129545439