Wednesday, 14 December 2022

• Telethon Kids Institute opens new site in Joondalup, home to CliniKids and The ORIGINS Project
• Joondalup’s CliniKids provides specialised therapies and support to children on the autism spectrum, and their families
• The ORIGINS Project is seeking additional families having their baby at Joondalup Health Campus to enrol before 31 December

Emily Hamilton MLA, Member for Joondalup, recently visited the new Telethon Kids Institute site in Joondalup, home to CliniKids and The ORIGINS Project. This is the second CliniKids clinic in Western Australia and will provide support close to home for families across Joondalup and the northern suburbs.

CliniKids clinics provide cutting-edge therapies and supports for children on the autism spectrum, and their families. Led by Professor Andrew Whitehouse, CliniKids puts research into practice to provide families with tailored supports and evidence-based therapies, cutting the time between new research outcomes and their use in clinical practice.

Outcomes from the research and clinical work of the CliniKids clinic is being shared with local schools who have been offered training in cutting-edge therapies to support members of their school community.

The WA Government is investing in supporting people with autism. Locally in Joondalup, Heathridge Primary School and Ocean Reef Senior High School have been pioneering schools in the WA Government’s Specialised Learning Program for those on the autism spectrum. In October, the McGowan Government announced the expansion of the ASD Specialised Learning Program to an additional eight schools across WA, which will the grow number of schools offering the program to a total of 24 across the State.

Telethon Kids Institute receives funding from Telethon. Our WA community donates generously to Telethon, and this year was no exception. The 2022 Telethon netted more than $71 million in donations – the largest amount in Telethon’s history. This includes a donation of $11 million by the McGowan Government.

Telethon has been a cornerstone of the WA community since 1968, and the total of donations to Telethon over its lifetime now amount to over $500 million. The generous donations of the WA community support continued medical and therapeutic research across a wide range of fields. This includes research across areas such as disability, autism, mental health, diabetes, infectious disease, and neonatal health.

Research undertaken by Telethon Kids Institute is world renowned and cited by academics, researchers and medical professionals across the globe.

The ORIGINS Project is a collaboration between Joondalup Health Campus and the Telethon Kids Institute, forming the largest study of children from their time in the womb, to the age of five years. The Project has been underway for over a decade to improve child health and early intervention planning.

This site is also home to the paediatric services of The ORIGINS Project, while antenatal newborn research will continue to take place at Joondalup Health Campus.

The project is collecting detailed information on how a child’s early environment, their parents’ physical health, and genetics influence the risk of a wide range of diseases and conditions such as asthma, eczema, food allergies, hay fever, diabetes, obesity and neuro-developmental challenges.

The ORIGINS Project is currently undertaking it’s final recruitment of families into the research program. Further information about The ORIGINS Project is available here – The ORIGINS Project.

Check out the CliniKids website here.

Comments attributed to Joondalup MLA Emily Hamilton:

“I am so pleased that Telethon Kids Institute has opened a new site — home to CliniKids and The ORIGINS Project — in Joondalup. Joondalup is Perth’s second CBD, and our focus on cutting-edge medical research and treatment is acknowledged across WA, and the world.

“The ORIGINS Project is a unique study, the largest of its kind, in Australia and not only provides data for research, but becomes a valued support for new families in our community.

“Our Joondalup community is home to many organisations that support children on the autism spectrum. I am a proud supporter of All Stars for Autism, a great local group based out of the Joondalup Family Centre.

“Recently I was pleased to join All Stars for Autism to celebrate International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD). I am proud that the All Stars for Autism received a WA Government grant to support their IDPwD activities.”

Media contact: 9300 3990