A group of young Mandurah teens with autism (known as ninjas) gets together every Saturday to code.
Along with the support of some wonderful volunteers, they put their brain power to the test as part of Curtin University's AASQA CoderDojo program.
This Saturday, Andrea Roestenberg, from the Fogarty Foundation which supports CoderDojo clubs across WA, along with members of the Curtin Autism Research Group will be visiting the Mandurah ninjas in action.
Mandurah coordinator Michelle Wong encouraged teens to get involved.
"Coding is the way of the future and the autistic brain is wired perfectly for the task," Ms Wong said.
"From creating colour sensing robots, to intuitive computer games, these bright sparks can do it all."
Coodanup's own Professor Lyn Beazley, former Western Australian of the year and former Western Australian Chief Scientist, is an ambassador of the AASQA program. She said providing these unique individuals with an outlet where the sky is the limit, made her heart sing.
Curtin's Autism Academy of Software Quality Assurance launched the first CoderDojo for autistic coding ninjas in 2017, under the talented guidance of Professor Tele Tan. The Mandurah AASQA CoderDojo started in 2019, thanks to the support of the Fogarty Foundation and Bank West.
The club is free to join and welcomes new members and mentors alike.
Anyone with an autistic teen that loves coding, or any adulta interested in the coding world, can email michelle@bustaburpee.com.au
