Therapy Supports

Speech Pathologists support our customers with their communication and social skills. They provide therapy to assist with speaking, listening, and understanding language, as well as providing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies for people with complex communication needs.

Our Speech Pathologists empower their customers to use their voice and express themselves. They support customers with mealtime management, including swallowing and feeding difficulties to safely eat, drink and explore a range of foods. This can be offered in the following formats:

• One-on-one. Therapist and customer.
• Providing programs for families to implement at home
• Consultation with families and teachers
• Group sessions and workshops

All our approaches and interventions are evidence based and we will work with you to determine which approach works best for you. As part of this process, your therapist will utilise evidence-based assessments.

Our team has additional training in a variety of evidence-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) programs and strategies. This includes Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display (PODD), Proloquo2go, Colourful Semantics, and Hanen: More Than Words.

Occupational Therapists support our customers to do their everyday tasks that target daily living activities, toileting, sleep, play, sensory regulation, emotional regulation, social skill development and attachment principles.

Occupational Therapists can help you to improve or regain your independence by developing your skills, using different techniques or equipment, or changing the environment.

Our occupational therapists assist our customers with routines and emotional and sensory regulation. This allows customers to more effectively participate in their daily tasks while meeting their sensory needs. This can be offered in the following formats:

• One-on-one. Therapist and customer.
• Providing programs for families to implement at home
• Consultation with families and teachers
• Group sessions and workshops

As part of this process, your therapist will utilise evidence-based assessments.

Our therapists are specialised in programs that target daily living activities. These include feeding programs such as Sequential Oral Sensory Approach to Feeding (SOS), toileting programs such as Learning to Conquer the Wee’s and Poo’s, sleep programs such as the SleepWise Program, as well as sensory and emotional regulation programs such as Zones of Regulation, and Traffic Jam in My Brain. Our therapists are also trained in Circle of Security to support connections within your family. All our approaches and interventions are evidence based and we will work with you to determine which approach works best for you.

Developmental Educators can provide support to customers from infancy to adulthood, improving their overall quality of life and supporting them to reach their goals. This support is tailored to the individual based on their individual needs. It could be support with the development of functional life skills including social, communication, emotional and behavioural regulation, as well as support to carry out daily routines.

They will liaise with families, services providers, other allied health professionals, and community members to increase choice, control and social inclusion for our customers.

This can be offered in the following formats:

• One-on-one. Therapist and customer.
• Providing programs for families to implement at home
• Consultation with families and teachers
• Group sessions and workshops

All our approaches and interventions are evidence based and we will work with you to determine which approach works best for you. As part of this process, your therapist will utilise evidence-based assessments.

Our registered Behaviour Support Practitioners focus on providing person-centred strategies in a holistic approach to improve the quality of life of people living with disabilities.

As a part of the service, our team conducts assessments to determine the purpose or the ‘function’ of the behaviours of concern and develop Positive Behaviour Support Plans which include evidence-based strategies, focusing on skill development and setting up the customer’s environment to meet their needs.

Working with the individual, their family, carers and other support people, our practitioners provide long-term support and training to implement the plans developed and monitor outcomes. We work from a Human Rights based model, using the least restrictive methods.

Our highly skilled team of Behaviour Support Practitioners is here to support you every step of the way, to reduce or eliminate difficult behaviours.

Our services include:

• Interim/Comprehensive Behaviour Support Planning
• Functional Behaviour Assessments (FBA)
• Staff Development and Support Teams Training
• Developmental and Capacity Building Programmes
• Clinical Assessment and Risk Analysis
• 1:1 Behaviour Support intervention sessions
• Person-centred and evidence-based Positive Behaviour Support
• Reduction of the use of restrictive practices through creation of alternative strategies

Positive Behaviour Support is available if it appears in your NDIS plan under CAPACITY BUILDING (CB) Supports – Improved Relationships (Behaviour Support).

Get in touch with our friendly team today and find out how we can best support the individual.

Our Specialised Training Services team consists of speech pathologists, occupational therapists, developmental educators, teachers and behaviour support practitioners with a broad range of expertise.

Workshops and professional development sessions can be tailored to suit the needs of yourself, your team or your service. Sessions can include whole team workshops, consultations within your service to provide support and to translate knowledge into practice, virtual information sessions and more.

Current Topics available:

• Augmentative and alternative
• Communication
• Circle of security
• Early childhood language and literacy development
• Functional capacity assessments
• Introduction to autism
• Introduction to mealtimes
• Positive behaviour support
• Restrictive practices
• Sensory processing
• Sleep routines and strategies
• Toilet training
• Mealtime management and dysphagia
• Creating inclusive learning environments

Our team provides therapeutic groups and programs, including offerings such as the Food School and What’s the Buzz.

Food School:

Our therapists are trained in SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) approach to feeding which was developed by Kay Toomey (Psychologist). Food School aims for participants to have positive experiences with food through developing their confidence to touch, smell and taste new foods presented to them. Parents are

also empowered to support their child’s feeding experiences through sharing personal challenges and gaining knowledge in the parent education component.

Food School consists of six one-hour group therapy sessions run across each school holidays. It is run as a small group program to allow participants to have full therapeutic support throughout. It is structured to engage participants in sensory regulation tasks before sitting at the table and exploring different foods and a drink. Parent education sessions run in conjunction with the group therapy to education and empower parents to support their child’s feeding challenges.

What’s the Buzz?

What’s the Buzz? is an evidence-based group program, developed by Mark Le Messurier and Madhavi Nawana Parker, aimed at developing social emotional literacy skills in a group setting. This is presented in the form of a story about a character named Archie, and follows him through his daily life at school and home, and presents a range of relatable problems for the group to help solve. This includes not only the chance to learn about social skills and emotional regulation techniques, but the chance to practice these skills in real-time, with peers.

Our school holiday What’s the Buzz? sessions cover a modified What’s the Buzz? curriculum, covering 8 of the 16 lessons across four one-and-a-half hour sessions. You are asked to be involved in the lesson selection, choosing the lessons which you feel are of the highest priority for your child. After each session, you will also be provided with a handout with some information about the lessons your child took part in that day, and some fun and engaging ways to continue this learning at home, or when out and about.

Our OATS therapists also run a range of skill development workshops throughout the year and over school holiday periods. Current workshops include:

What’s The Buzz

For children having difficulty interacting socially or regulating their emotions. Learn more about the What’s The Buzz workshop.

Food School

For children with feeding or eating difficulties or fussy eaters. Learn more about the Food School workshop.

More Than Words

For children who have difficulty communicating with adults and peers. Learn more about the More Than Words workshop.