Regional Early Intervention Service
The early childhood regional team provides information, advice, support and individualized strategies to parents, staff and other personnel involved in the lives of children with Autism. This is a service that is available through the FaHCSIA Helping Children with Autism package for families who have a child diagnosed with Autism under the age of 7 years.
For more information please see our flyer below.
Regional - Early Childhood Support Service
Metropolitan Services available at Early Intervention
All children receive an initial assessment once they have enrolled in Early Intervention Services.
Services will be determined at the initial assessment and may include:
- Multi-disciplinary Centre-based sessions
- Home Visits
- School Visits and case conferences
Multi-Disciplinary Centre-based Sessions and Hours
The Early Intervention Centre is open from Monday to Friday with session times as follows:
- 9.00 am - 12.00 pm
- 1.00 pm - 4.00 pm
- A whole day session (made up of 2 centre sessions is available from 9.00 am till 3.00 pm)
Parents should contact the Early Intervention Centre staff during business hours (8.30am to 5.00pm), Monday to Friday to discuss enrolment options.
Centre sessions are broken up into different activities to target skills across developmental areas. Centre sessions involve both group and individual work. A staff is allocated to work with each individual child. The intensity of support is reduced as children develop skills and independence. Parents are invited to observe and participate in centre sessions. Teachers and Teaching Assistants are also invited to observe centre sessions with this child they are working with in the school environment.
Home Visiting Support
Clinical Staff are able to provide home visits to families to help support them to work with their child at home. Clinicians observe the child in their home environment and work with parents to provide individualised support to help them interact and facilitate communication with their child.
Families are able to organise a home visit support service through the Early Intervention Program, this is generally determined at the child’s initial assessment. Families can access 3 home visits per term (3 hours allocated for each of the 3 home visits. This includes travel time and report writing). Visual supports are developed for parents to use at home.
School Visits and Individual Education Planning Meetings
School visits are available from teaching staff at the Association. Staff from the association work closely with visiting teachers and consultants from Catholic/ independent and state school sectors to provide collaborative support to teachers and support staff in mainstream schools and centres. Parents can request school visits by staff to observe their child in a school environment and provide individualised strategies and recommendations to the classroom teachers and aides. Staff can also provide visual supports for the teacher and aide to support the communication needs of the child. At all stages of this process we involve the teachers and identify where they would like further support and training.
Attendance at Individual Education Plan meetings can be provided from staff at Early Intervention. At these meetings staff from the Association can work together with classroom teachers to develop an individual education plan that supports the child with autism.
