The First Steps For Autism Program Is Designed For Children Aged Up To 7 Years
Our research supports that children who participate in this program make significant gains in their development.
Early Intervention Programs
Welcome to our Early Intervention Page. Outlined below is information about the range of therapy services we provide for children up to 7 years. We have Early Intervention centers across metropolitan Perth and also provide a range of therapy programs for families living in regional areas.
Our Therapists provide direct therapy on site as well as outreach therapy services in our community and across home and school environments.
Our program is one of the National leaders in best-practice Autism Early Intervention. We partner with bigest worldwide companies, and our program is founded on a wide body of evidence-based research. Our research demonstrates that children who participate in our programs make significant gains in their skill development and school participation.
We have places available for Early Intervention at the beginning of each school term. To express your interest click below.
What can I access whilst waiting to start First Steps Early Intervention?
Early Days Workshops
Early Days is a free training workshop program for parents and carers of children up to 6 years who have recently been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or are undergoing the assessment process. It provides you with information, tips and strategies so you can learn new skills to support your child at home. It has both online and face-to-face modules.
MyTime Parent Support Groups
MyTime are parent support groups that the AAC AT help to run. These are opportunities for parents to get together and have a chat with a cup of tea and be supported by parents of other children, who know what journeys you are going through.
MyTime Dads Group
MyTime Dad’s Groups provide a relaxed, casual atmosphere in which to chat, share and support each other. All Dads/Father figures of children with Autism are invited to attend our MyTime groups for dads and our Dads Autism Connect group.
The Raising Children Network
The Raising Children Network is great website with reliable information about parenting and Autism. There are some articles on there about Autism and different developmental stages, communication and sensory needs and information on challenging behaviour and behaviour management including some general tips and strategies.
Positive Partnerships
Positive Partnerships is another free online training program that you are able to access, designed to teach families as well as school teachers and teams more about Autism and how to support that young person. It has lots of great resources on there as well as monthly webinars about different topics. You can log onto the website and work through the modules in your own time and it is worth mentioning this to the teachers as they often do not know that they can do the free training.
What specialists are available?
We have a specialist team who engage in ongoing training, development and mentoring. The trans-disciplinary team includes
- Psychologists
- Clinical psychologists
- Speech pathologists
- Occupational therapists
- Early childhood and primary teachers
- Therapy assistants
- Autism Advisors
A therapist from the team is allocated to be the key contact for each family. This therapist provides ongoing support and consultation and can be contacted at all times to support you and your family.
Why choose our therapy services?
Our dedicated team at the AAC AT understands Autism and knows how to provide training, support and encouragement for families and individuals.
In addition, when choosing to work with us, you will:
- Access the largest Autism organisation providing services to people with Autism and other related conditions from early childhood to adulthood.
- Draw on our 13+ years of experience, providing services to families and the community.
- Work with a trans-disciplinary team of speech pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists and social workers.
- Receive guidance from a consistent point of contact; one therapist is allocated to each family as the primary contact.
- Benefit from our strong collaborative relationships with the education sector.
- Access therapy across home, school and community settings.
A therapist from the team is allocated to be the key contact for each family. This therapist provides ongoing support and consultation and can be contacted at all times to support you and your family.
What type of support would you prefer?
There are many ways to access support for children up to seven years of age, including:.
- Attending therapy sessions at one of our centres.
- Arranging home, community or school-based therapy programs as outlined below.
Not sure what would suit your child best? Simply contact us to arrange an appointment with our First Steps team.
Delivered by an experienced team
We are passionate and dedicated to making a difference and to creating opportunities for children with Autism and their families from early intervention and beyond. Over 90% of children who participate in our therapy programs, transition to full-time mainstream schools.
We have strong networks with the education sector and work collaboratively to support successful transition into school.
Best practice and research-based programs
The therapy programs offered by the AAC AT are best-practice and founded on a wide body of evidence-based research on Autism, conducted with Universities. The research demonstrates that children who participate in our programs make significant gains in their skill development and school participation.
What happens at the therapy centres each day?
Children engage in fun activities such as mat time, play, craft, snack, gym and self-care activities in small groups. These are run by therapists and integrate individual therapy goals for each child.
Children develop skills and confidence in a safe environment that is structured and predictable, with an established routine.
The Early Years Learning Framework for education is integrated into our group curriculum.
Our Approach
If your child is participating in the First Steps Therapy Program, whether at one of our centres or via a school, home or community-based program, the following support is also available for you and your family.
Individualised Assessment and Program
An individual assessment is undertaken in collaboration with the family, to identify your child’s learning profile and areas for further skill development. Then an individualised therapy plan is created by a team of professionals, including occupational therapists, speech pathologists, specialist teachers, psychologists and therapy assistants.
The therapy plan will include some or all of the following areas:
- Attention and communication.
- Behaviour and self-regulation.
- Cognitive skill development.
- Gross motor and fine motor development.
- Play and social skills.
- School readiness.
- Self-help and independence.
Your key therapist will work closely with you to integrate therapy strategies into family routines. In addition, therapists work in close collaboration with day care and school educators to integrate therapy goals into the school routine.
Together, we’ll help your child to develop the skills required for creating an enjoyable life.
Sibling support:
Support is available for siblings of children who are accessing our First Steps for Autism therapy program.
School consultation and support:
Our team will work closely with your child’s school to facilitate the transition into new school environments, the integration of therapy goals within the School Individual Education Plan and to support curriculum modification and integration of visual strategies. Teachers are also encouraged to observe therapy sessions to replicate strategies that can be implemented into the classroom.
Infobite sessions:
We run parent training sessions whilst the children are engaged in therapy groups, called Early Learning Infobite’s, see the events calendar for dates. These are short information sessions on various topics such as communication, sensory processing and similar. Topics can also be requested by families.
Parent coffee groups:
Each week we run parent coffee mornings. Come along for an informal chat with other families, facilitated by our therapists. You’ll share information and engage local community organisations to provide information on local supports and services.
Parent training:
Parents are key members of the team. Throughout the year, training workshops and coaching programs are run to assist you to turn everyday family life and events into learning opportunities for your child.
Support for teachers:
Specialist visual resources will be prepared and implemented across home, school and community environments, whenever required, to assist in developing your child’s independence, communication and social participation.
Our Therapy Services
Most families start our program in our weekly group therapy program. Children attend for a minimum of one, three-hour session a week and participate in intensive individual and group therapy. This maximizes therapy hours and also provides opportunities for children to develop skills that are required for effective participation in school. Families can participate in the weekly group therapy sessions, including observing your child engaged in activities, accessing coaching (where parents can practice implementing program goals in collaboration with a therapist), plus home, school and community support.
For more than 45 years it has been developed and refined the First Steps for Autism programs for children with Autism. The following programs are specifically designed for young children aged from 0 to 8 years of age. You can choose from centre-based or school, home or community-based options.
Weekly Group and Individual Therapy at our Little Stars Centres
Children as young as 18 months can participate in this program. Usually, families start with a weekly three-hour session, which includes 45 minutes of intensive one-to-one therapy. Groups are run by our specialist therapy team including Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Specialist Teachers, Psychologists and therapy assistants.
The curriculum has a strong focus on developing the social communication skills required for effective participation in school, plus the development of gross and fine motor skills. Each session includes a selection of activities, such as mat time, peer play, craft, gym and independent work skill
The group size may range from three to 10 children, depending on the level of support required for each child. Intensity of support is reduced as children develop skills and independence. Parents and teachers are invited to observe and participate in both the group and individual therapy sessions.
The therapy centers are designed to support learning opportunities and mimic early school environments. If your child is at a day care or school, your child’s therapist will work closely with the teachers to integrate the therapy goals across these environments. Intensive parent coaching and support is also provided to you, to help you to facilitate the
integration of therapy goals into family routines.
We encourage you to invite your child’s teacher to observe both group and individual therapy sessions. Our therapists will spend time with the teacher to demonstrate strategies that can be included in the classroom or childcare setting to enhance participation and inclusion. Teachers can also contact your dedicated therapist at any time to discuss strategies to positively support behaviour and develop skills.
School, Home or Community-Based Therapy Program
Families may also choose a home, school and community-based therapy program, rather than attend sessions at one of our centres. The therapist will design activities to include in home and school routines, these are carefully selected to improve the skills identified in the individual assessment. As an example, focus areas might include communication, behavioural or social skills. The therapist will also work closely with the family and school teachers to provide direct therapy and coaching and guidance, as required.
Parent Involvement
Parents and Families are Part of the Team
We believe in working together with parents and partners as part of our therapy team. Parents are involved in setting goals and supporting program implementation.
Families accessing Little Stars Centres are welcome to observe their child engaged in the group curriculum and can participate in individual therapy sessions. Our therapists are also available to provide coaching to families to develop strategies to facilitate skill development.
We work in close collaboration with families to integrate goals into daily routines, and we support parents to be strong advocates for their child across educational settings.
Parent Activities
We have many parent activities across the year including Parent Training, Parent Coffee Groups, Dads Day Out, Early Days workshops, Positive Partnership workshops and information sessions. Ask our First Steps team for more information on how you can be involved.
School Holiday Programs
Our experienced therapists run a range of school holiday programs to help develop skills and create social networks for children up to 7 years of age. Contact the first steps team for more information.
Hanen More than Word™ and TalkAbility™ intensive communication workshops
Parents and others who wish to learn more about communication and Autism are able to take part in the Hanen More than Words™ and TalkAbility™ intensive communication workshops, conducted by Hanen certified speech pathologists. These programs, run throughout the year across a 10-week period, are designed to help parents and carers more effectively support their child’s language and communication. Please see our training events calendar for more information and to find out when the next program will run.
Specialist Behaviour Team
Intensive behaviour intervention: If families are not currently accessing our services and require short and intensive support in relation to behaviour, our specialist Behaviour Support team is on hand.
The first step is an in-depth assessment, followed by the development of a Positive Behaviour Support Plan, personalised to the needs of your child. This program also includes training and coaching for parents, siblings and other supporters.
Specialist Communication Team
Where additional support for communication is required, a specialist speech pathologist can conduct a more complex assessment. The goal will be to find suitable communication devices, which may or may not use technology.
Many children with Autism find these supports helpful, especially as approximately 30% to 50% of children may not initially use functional speech to communicate. In these cases, an augmentative and alternative communication method (AAC) is introduced to support the development of functional communication. Our therapy team will explore what AAC supports best suit your child. These could include low-tech AAC supports such as visual schedules, choice boards, communication books and picture exchange communication systems and similar.
Even with access to these supports, some children may continue to experience frequent communication breakdowns which impact significantly on daily life. If your child requires such support, a more comprehensive communication system (such as a high-tech communication device) can be introduced. We have specialist speech pathologists available to provide this service, which includes an additional communication assessment. The goal is to find the ideal communication device, then provide intensive training to support the implementation of the device across home, school and the community.