21 Jun 2022

BY: admin

ABACAS Team

Comments: No Comments

Westmead Feelings Program 2, Term Three

As part of our Term Three group therapy program, our ABACAS team will be running the Westmead Feelings Program.

Program Outline

The Westmead Feelings Program teaches children to better express and understand their feelings and the feelings of others. It also teaches social skills, problem-solving methods and coping skills. It has been developed especially for children with (or suspected of) autism spectrum disorder.

The group will include students aged between 8 and 14 years. An information and training session will be held at the beginning and end of each term for the parents and the teachers of the children in the group (6 sessions altogether plus a booster session). Teachers and parents will learn what the children are being taught and will be trained in how to be an ‘emotion coach’ for the children so that they are helped to practice new skills at home and at school.

You can learn more about the Westmead Feelings Program here:

https://www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/professionals/learn/wfp

Program Facilitators

Rachel Puan, Program Manager and Lynette Tan, Case Manager from our ABACAS team will be running this program.  Both Rachel and Lynette have years of experience developing Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) skills programs for children. As part of their roles they also provide behavioural consultancy services to families and schools alike.  It just so happens that both are also working on the BCBA credentials via post-graduate study too.

Program Details

Day and Time:    Every Tuesday starting 26 July 2022, 3.30-5.00pm

Session Length:  90-minutes sessions weekly

Number of participants: 6

Cost: $90 per session

Resources:

Parents will need to purchase the following materials to support the program. This can be done through the centre.

  • $54.95 – children’s materials
  • $39.95 – parent materials

For more information please contact our Client Support Coordinator on 9274 7062 or email – csc@childwellbeingcentre.net.au

School holidays and sport 24 Jun 2019

BY: admin

ABACAS Team

Comments: No Comments

Planning for fun and the school holidays

School holidays are on the horizon. Many parents will be starting to plan how to keep their children entertained during the holidays. For parents with children with disabilities this can be a bit tricky.  Not only may you need programs that match your child’s  interest but you may also be looking for programs that provide strong structure and more individualised support.

School holidays also give the chance to step out of routine, take a break and refocus for the next three months or so. This is a great time to think about the new school term ahead and what else can be done to meet the social and recreational needs of your child. Aside from all the physical health benefits that come with sport, there are many social ones too. Not to mention the opportunity to just have fun.

Stuck for ideas? Below is the list that we’ve come up with so far. The good news is that more and more organisations are offering school holiday programs and out of school hours clubs and sports for children with special needs. So expect this list to grow over time…

Let’s start with school holidays programs

MyCareSpace currently has a list of inclusive school holidays programs and it looks to be growing each term.  You can search by state or post code and then click on the link to the relevant website to find out more information. Their web address is: https://mycarespace.com.au/resources/inclusive-school-holiday-camps

A favourite of Naomi’s  for school holidays programs are those run by Autism West – The Telethon Holiday Makers Program – which caters for children on the autism spectrum aged 10-18 years. Autism West also run different groups during the school term too. Their web address is as follows: http://autismwest.org.au/social-groups/holiday-makers/

What about extracurricular activities during the term?

Here are a few that we’ve found that might be interesting and not all sport based!

The WA Disabled Sports Association (WADSA) has a directory of activities run by different organisations. You can search by topic and then click on the link to take you to the relevant website. It also has a category for “Holiday and After School Activities”. A great place to start to help you and your child work out what sorts of activities might be interesting.

https://www.wadsa.org.au/

For the children and adolescents that are more interested in music we came across this organisation – Music Rocks Australia. They provide programs for children and adults with special needs.

https://www.musicrocks.com.au/children-and-adults-with-special-needs

This program is one that we’ve had our own ABACAS team members volunteer to help with from time to time. Great for the kids who love the water – why not surfing with Ocean Heroes?

https://www.oceanheroes.com.au/

And for the children who really love their technology there is the The Lab – which provides technology clubs for children on the higher functioning end of the autism spectrum.

https://thelab.org.au/

We hope these websites are helpful.  They are just a selection of services and programs that caught our attention when looking at what’s currently out there in Perth. Have you got any programs that you’d like to recommend? If so please feel free to let any of the ABACAS Team know so we can add them to our working list and share with other parents!

Lastly, the Centre will be open during the holidays which means therapy doesn’t have to stop. If we don’t see you during the holidays we look forward to seeing you at the start of next term. For  more information about our ABACAS program please click on the following link:

https://www.childwellbeingcentre.net.au/services/aba-child-and-adolescent-services-abacas/

Penny Wong (Case Manager, ABACAS) & Naomi Ward (Clinical Director)

13 Nov 2018

BY: admin

ABACAS Team

Comments: No Comments

Preparing for the long holidays when you have a child with Autism

I know you may not want to hear it be we are approaching the end of the school term and the long holidays. Many parents of children with autism often face this time with a range of emotions – relief and anxiety.  Relief that there is an end in sight for the daily school & daycare routine. Anxiety when you think about how you will be keeping your child occupied over the holiday period.

Start planning for the holidays now (while you have the time and energy!)

Here are three ideas/strategies to help you cope with what’s to come:

  1. Create a visual holiday routine/schedule

For someone who struggles to differentiate between the days of the week, it is essential to establish a routine for a child with autism. By establishing a routine, you will be able to offer a sense of control and structure. It will also be much easier to transition to the back to school routine once the school term starts again next year too.

When a child is anxious about what is going to happen it will often come through in their behaviour. For example, I have seen children ask repeatedly for swimming throughout the day as they do not have an idea what they will be going next. Obviously, it’s a rare parent and child who is not going to be stressed by this behaviour (in the child’s case note being able to go swimming on demand). And yet, this behaviour may be avoidable.

With a visual schedule, children can see what is expected of them and what they can expect to do next. From a therapy perspective I would encourage you to think about including some time to practice the skills that they have mastered during therapy sessions too.

Your therapy team can help you work out how to create a visual schedule so please let them know if you’d like this help. Putting one in place now (even when it may not be as needed) is a nice way to transition into the holidays too.

  1. Let’s keep learning!

Learning does not end when the school term ends. When therapy stops (e.g. at the end of term) we often see a decline in skills acquisition and maintenance over the long holiday period. Being out of routine and not having therapy can lead to lots of stimming time and not enough skills practice.

Apart from keeping up with regular therapy sessions, I recommend my parents to spend time generalising the skills that their children have mastered within sessions. Holiday time can be spent expanding their skill sets and to exposing them to new stimuli. For example, teaching children to tact zoo animals when you make a visit to the local Perth Zoo or teaching them to tact car colours while playing “I spy” on the road.

  1. Have some down time

Being a parent is hard work. Therefore, it is very important to look after yourself during the holidays. Be it spending some alone time by the beach or even taking a short 5 minutes break to sit and sip on a hot cup of coffee before it gets cold. Do it. Because you deserve it. And remember, happy parents usually make for happy children too!

Holidays don’t have to be stressful!

In actual fact, holidays can be a lot of fun. Start thinking about how you will set up your days, particularly once you get past Christmas.

Please talk with your Program Managers about the activities that you could do to help generalise the skills that your child has learned during their therapy sessions.  While the office will be shut from the 22nd December through to the 7th January, most of the team will be on board through-out the rest of January.  We usually have a bit more flex during the holidays so increasing therapy sessions is also an option.

Rachel Puan

Assistant Program Manager (ABACAS)

27 Apr 2018

BY: admin

Psychologists

Comments: No Comments

When to seek assessments for autism spectrum disorders

I was a school last term observing a young client of mine during recess when an education assistant came up to me and asked whether “8 years old” was too late for an autism assessment.

As some of you will know, I will see children and families at the Centre for autism assessments. I often get asked this question. The good news is that it is is never too late for an autism assessment. Children, adolescents and adults can be seen for assessment at any time. Research compels us though to advocate for early assessment as this usually leads to early intervention. It also gives us a chance to talk to families of children who don’t receive a diagnosis about next steps and supports.

An assessment can happen at any age. The advice that I give to families though is that if you intend to seek an assessment it’s best to time your assessment before the child turns 12 years of age. Aside from an easier assessment process, it also allows time to plan for issues such as transition to high school.

Whenever a parent decides to request an assessment keep in mind that parents play an active part in the process. You know your child better than anyone else and the assessment team will want to partner with you in understanding your child strengths and weaknesses.

Referrals for assessment usually start with seeing a paediatrician. Your GP will need to refer you to either the appropriate government service or a private paediatrician. Wait-lists will vary according to the age of the child – which is another reason not to leave assessments too late!

Naomi Ward

Clinical Director

24 Apr 2018

BY: admin

ABACAS Team

Comments: No Comments

ABACAS Tuesdays – Learning to Learn Skills

Ever wonder why your child, who you know is so clever, might be struggling in school or to pay attention to others? They might need to work on a set of skills called “Learning to Learn”! Learning to Learn skills are the foundation skills a child needs before they can learn effectively in places like a classroom or in therapy sessions.

ABA can help children to achieve these skills by breaking them down into small, achievable parts, and scaffolding them into a whole skill set for your child. Skills like sitting on your bottom with still feet, making eye contact with a teacher, and waiting for a peer to finish speaking before asking a question are all a part of this group. Without some of these skills, children are not able to experience the full benefits from their daily experiences.

Because ABA is always focused on being applied, generalised and effective, we can work with your child 1:1 or provide training and interventions to teachers or carers who can support learning these skills in the context they need to be used.

If you have a child who might benefit from these skills, or are a professional who would like to learn how to foster them please contact Jenny Lin, Program Manager on 9274 7062.

10 Apr 2018

BY: admin

ABACAS Team

Comments: No Comments

Autism Awareness Month – let’s talk about ABA and Autism!

Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is a set of principles that explains how behaviour works and how learning takes place. Over the past 70 years, the field of applied behaviour analysis has been testing out many techniques and methods to make sure interventions are effective and to eliminate treatments that are harmful to the children and may interfere with learning.

As a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA), the principles of ABA I find myself using everyday are (1) finding out the functions of behaviour (the “ABC”), and (2) task analysis.

Finding out the function of a behaviour is the first step to create an intervention. And by knowing the function, it makes it so much easier to understand the causes of the behaviour.

Task analysis, also known as chaining, is a process of breaking a skill down into smaller and more manageable components. We teach the skills from the smaller components, such as putting on a shirt, slowly build up to a bigger picture, like completing a morning routine. And even within the smallest component, like putting on a shirt, we can deconstruct the skills into even smaller and more precise steps to teach and to master.

Do you know what’s behind your child’s intervention? Ask your therapist this week! If you have questions about ABA, please email Jenny Lin, Program Manager at cwbc@westnet.com.au

Autism Awareness Month is a month to ask questions and to understand what autism is. And I’m here to answer your questions!

Read more on ABA for Autism at:

https://www.autismspeaks.org/…/applied-behavior-analysis-aba

Jenny Lin, Program Manager, ABACAS

04 Feb 2018

BY: admin

ABACAS Team

Comments: No Comments

ABACAS Tuesdays – School Readiness Program 

ABACAS started the School Readiness Program in the second half of 2017. The School Readiness Program is designed to have 45 minutes of 1:1 session running individualized ABA programs and 45 minutes of Social/Group session. The Social/Group session simulates Circle Time and Free play time at a regular Kindy. Our program focuses on small group free play and facilitated play to increase social interaction (initiating play, asking for help, sharing, requesting an item, taking turn, etc.), following instructions (compliance training), and transitioning between play and work (Circle Time).

Our first class of graduates completed their program on 25th January, 2018 (see the photo below). The small group of children who graduated will continue with their 1:1 sessions but will be transitioning to full time kindergarten this year!

We are not only so proud to see our children blossoming into more independent individuals, we are even more exciting to see them forming friendships with their peers in the same group.

We are currently taking children ages 3-4 to participate in the 2018 School Readiness Program! Please contact Program Manager Jenny Lin at 9274 0330 for further information!

Side bar