Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Services
Children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have unique abilities, strengths, and challenges. Often, children and adolescents with ASD face emotional, behavioural, and social communication challenges that can have an impact on their quality of life and the quality of life of their family. Foundations for Learning supports families to address these challenges and to improve the lives of young people with ASD. At Foundations for Learning, our goal is to support children with ASD reach their potential, become effective communicators, and live happy, meaningful lives.
Foundations for Learning offers comprehensive, multi-disciplinary support including assessment, positive behaviour support, speech and language therapy, psychological therapy, social skills groups, and training and consultation. We provide services in a range of settings including home, school, our offices and in the community.
Autism Assessment
Accurate diagnosis is key to ensuring appropriate interventions are put in place as early as possible. We offer autism assessments for children, adolescents, and adults using the gold standard in assessment tools (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and Autism Diagnostic Interview). Our assessment process includes an initial screening interview where we will discuss with you the suitability of further assessment. Based on your individual situation assessment can include a mix of parent and teacher interviews, assessment of the child’s communication and social skills, questionnaires and direct observations. We work with you throughout the assessment process keeping you updated on results each step of the way.
Behaviour Support
Behavioural difficulties can have a significant impact on the quality of life of children and their families. At Foundations for Learning, we use Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) to help families and schools manage difficult behaviours. PBS is an individualised and comprehensive approach that aims to identify and reduce or remove the triggers for behaviours and to teach and encourage children to use more appropriate alternatives. It is not necessary to have a diagnosis of Autism to receive PBS services and it has been found to be successful for children with a range of learning, social and developmental difficulties.
Therapy Services
We offer both individualised and group therapy services including psychology, speech and language therapy and social skills development. All of our interventions are developed in consultation with schools and families to ensure that they meet the child’s needs and that any strategies and recommendations are consistently implemented. Therapy services can be delivered at home, in school, or from our offices.
Consultation and Training
Often one of the most effective ways to produce enduring and meaningful change is by working directly with those supporting the child. We offer consultation and training to families, schools and community groups around how best to support and work with children with Autism. Consultation gives the person caring for the child the opportunity to talk through the issues they are facing with a professional and discuss potential strategies and ideas. This can relate to an individual child, class or school. Workshop topics can be tailored to individual needs, but some ideas include Autism awareness, managing difficult behaviours or developing social and communication skills.