Join our evidence-based group program for parents and carers of children recently diagnosed as autistic.
Are you parenting an autistic child? This psychoeducational and therapeutic group program can benefit both you and your child. Learn evidence-based strategies for parenting your autistic child from an experienced clinician, and explore how to support your own parenting experience and wellbeing.
Support with understanding the diagnosis:
- Receive psychoeducation about autism and your child’s experience from an experienced clinician
- Explore how to talk to your child about their diagnosis
Learn strategies for everyday situations with your child:
- Regulation strategies for sensory and emotional overload
- Supporting your child with friendships, communication & understanding social cues
- Managing transitions
- Helping your child deal with changes to routine
Support your own wellbeing:
- Processing your own feelings around your child’s diagnosis
- Incorporates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to support your general mental health and wellbeing as a parent or caregiver
Join a community of parents:
- Share experiences with other parents navigating the post-diagnostic period
- Meet weekly online
- Led by a clinician and a parent of an autistic child
Who is this program for?
Parents and carers of children with an autism diagnosis. This program is recommended for parents whose child received their diagnosis in the last 2 years.
When is the Empower parent program?
Weekly for 10 weeks. Upcoming programs:
- Thursdays (10.45am-12.15pm) - starts 23 July 2026
- Wednesdays (12.30pm-2.00pm) – starts 5 August 2026
- Thursdays (10.45am-12.15pm) – starts 8 October 2026
- Fridays (10.45am-12.15pm) – starts 16 October 2026
Where is the Empower group held?
Online
How much does the Empower program cost?
The cost of the Empower parent program is $129.50 per week. (NDIS funding or Medicare rebates are not available for this program).
I've got questions
Check out the answers to our Frequently Asked Questions below. Want to ask something else? Contact us on 08 6319 1133 or at clinikids.reception@thekids.org.au and one of our friendly Client Support Officers will be able to assist you.
Want to join the next Empower support group for parents and caregivers of autistic kids? Fill in the form below - it only takes approximately 2 minutes to complete.
Register your interest
How many people are in each support group?
Each Empower-Autism parent support group accepts a maximum of 10 parents/carers. We keep the groups small so that each member gets a chance to feel heard and supported, and to share their experience in a safe, inclusive space.
What are the benefits of the Empower support group?
- When you sign up to Empower as the parent or carer of a recently diagnosed autistic child, you will become part of an inclusive, non-judgemental group of parents who understand the experience you’re navigating right now.
- You’ll find a community of parents who understand what it’s like when your child receives an autism diagnosis.
- Together, you will be supported to share experiences as you understand and adjust to the new diagnosis
- Receive support and strategies to parent your autistic child
- Receive well being support for yourself as a parent
- Information about other autism resources
Who runs the program?
The Empower parent support program for parents/carers of recently diagnosed autistic kids is delivered by a trained CliniKids clinician, alongside a parent with lived experience of parenting an autistic child after an autism diagnosis. One of the following speech pathologists will present each Empower group:
- Aria May – Clinical Lead, Speech Pathology, CliniKids
- Marisa Di Lorenzo – Senior Speech Pathologist, CliniKids
- Sally Graugaug – Senior Speech Pathologist, CliniKids
Janette Dewhurst (The Kids Research Institute Australia) is the co-presenter for all three clinicians, and has lived experience as the parent of a child diagnosed as autistic.
Is Empower evidence-based?
The Empower-Autism support group is evidence-based. It was developed in the UK by researchers at The University of Manchester and was evaluated in a large clinical trial. As a group program for parents of autistic kids, it was developed alongside NHS professionals, parents and autistic people.
How recently does my child need to have been diagnosed?
There is no specific period since your child’s autism diagnosis that we require for you to take part in the Empower-Autism support group. It will be beneficial to parents and carers at many stages in their journey.
What are the payment options?
The cost of the Empower-Autism parent support program is $1,295 per person. Payment plans may be available upon request; however, full payment must be received prior to the commencement of the program to secure your place. All fees are non-refundable and non-transferrable to other services or programs. NDIS funding may not be used for this support group for parents of autistic kids.
What is CliniKids?
CliniKids is part of The Kids Research Institute Australia, which is one of Australia’s largest paediatric medical research institutes. At CliniKids, our team of world-class researchers and experienced clinicians work in collaboration to provide children with the very best evidence-based therapies and programs.
Our clinical team provides services to both private and NDIS-funded families across paediatric speech pathology, occupational therapy and psychology in Perth. We support children aged between 3-8 years old with autism and developmental delay.
We have two locations offering psychology, occupational therapy and speech pathology in Perth, located at Subiaco and Joondalup. In addition, we provide webinars, our popular 60-Second Science video series and other autism resources in our Information Hub.
You can find more autism resources here.