WHEN mural-artist Geoff Filmer was called on to paint the wall of the new autism early-intervention centre in Garran, he says he knew it was going to be something special.

Geoff, whose own son lives with autism, has made a name for himself painting murals across Canberra, from GIO Stadium to a collaborative piece with the National Museum of Australia.

But, designing the new centre for the AEIUO, a not-for-purpose foundation for children with autism, became “a real passion project”, he says. 

The completed work was unveiled on Wednesday (March 31), ahead of the centre’s opening in mid-July.

Geoff hopes it will create a bright and happy space for kids and parents that might be doing it tough. 

Just like his father, Geoff’s son is also very creative, which is something he channelled into the 20m mural. Instead of a static piece, Geoff says he has created a space for children at the centre to add their own contribution.

“What I’ve done is I’ve put in chalkboards which are actually chalkboard paint [so that visitors to the centre] can come and draw in a focused area,” he says.

“Sometimes [people with autism can] struggle with boundaries and knowing what their expectation is. So that that can be a real stress point.”

It also means that the wall becomes a living wall because the children are going to come out and they’re going to change it in subtle ways, he says. 

“I’m really excited to see how it works,” he says. 

The centre is the first of its kind in the ACT with the capacity to accommodate for 40 children, according to AEIOU Canberra region manager Enia Alberto. 

The underlying idea, she says, is to work with the families in partnership with the community to support children with autism to reach their potential – whatever their potential is.

“What a lot of research shows is that the sooner we start intervention, the better the outcome is for the child. So one of the goals for the children in the centre is really to work and help them with the communication skills, social skills and play skills,” she says.

“When each child reaches school age, they’ll have the skills that they need to succeed.

“That’s the goal.”