In collaboration with Rosie Smith and Krista Peterson-Hopgood.
Strike Up a Conversation is an initiative run by Autism New Zealand to encourage parents and families to meet together, create connections and learn from one another in a space where everyone feels comfortable. Our goal is to attract the parents as it not only benefits their child but themselves also, it will encourage the parents and the children to have fun together; creating and strengthening a close-knit community of families affected by Autism.
1 in 100 Kiwi’s have autism, for a small country that’s a large group of the population. Many people have heard of Autism but don’t know the social impact this neurological disorder it has on families and the individual.
Autism affects every individual differently depending on where they sit on the ASD spectrum. It is characterised by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and nonverbal communication. They are often sensitive to sensory overload, personal triggers such as balloons popping or something being out of place and are often perceived to have a lack of social or emotional reciprocity. Autistic individuals also tend to have a strong attention to detail, retainment of facts and staying concentrated.
While researching Autism, we began to look at the wellbeing of not just autistic individuals but their parents too. We began to find that there isn’t a variety of support available for parents and caregivers of Autistic, so we decided to redirect our focus onto how we can connect and support parents to better improve their wellbeing.
Presentation Video:
Banner Advertisement:
Media Kit:
Conversation Starter Cards:
App Prototype:
Desktop and mobile Website prototype:
Bowling league T-Shirts:
Dossier Proposal:
Rationale:
