ndis registered provider
social engagement and participation skills
for children (6+) & teens
This Skill-Based Behaviour Therapy Program supports your child to build skills to help improve social engagement and participation in day-to-day activities.
To ensure our programs are suitable for your child, or find out about availability, please contact us directly.
program focus areas
Our Social Engagement and Participation Program is tailored to your child's needs, helping them build skills in one or two of the following focus areas:
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Attending school and participating in school activities
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Starting and finishing tasks
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Tolerating feelings of anxiety
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Staying in safe, supervised areas when feeling distressed, nervous or scared
skills to support school attendance and participation in school activities
Sometimes referred to as school refusal, some children may find it challenging to attend, stay, or come home from school.
This program may be relevant for your child if they frequently experience:
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Difficulties with school-related transitions, eg. morning routines, drop off, pick up.
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Regular attempts to stay home (confirmed by your GP as not being related to an illness or health condition).
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Staying close to parents and finding it very challenging to say goodbye.
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Moments where they leave a classroom or a safe, supervised school area without having permission to do so.
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Big emotions related to thoughts about school.
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Feelings of calmness and relif when they do not have to attend school.
FUNCTIONAL GOALS
The goals in your child's program will be tailored to their individual needs and circumstances. An example of functional goals for an individual experiencing challenges attenting school may include:
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Creating and consistently following a step-by-step routine to help make school-related transitions more manageable.
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Learning to identify and communicate their top 2-3 triggers for school avoidance.
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Using agreed upon - and practised - strategies to help them with school attendance and/or participation.
skills to support starting and completing tasks
When a young child finds it challenging to start and/or finish an age-appropriate task, they may be experiencing feelings of overwhelm, anxiety or a sense that they've lost control.
This may look like your child frequently:
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Saying 'no' when you ask them to do something.
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Ignoring you when you ask them to help.
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Putting tasks off; saying "I'll do it later" and never doing it.
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Getting distracted by another activity before they can finish a task.
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Negotiating or pushing back on tasks.
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Having a strong emotional reaction when being asked to do something.
FUNCTIONAL GOALS
The goals in your child's program will be tailored to their individual needs and circumstances. An example of functional goals for an individual experiencing challenges starting/finishing tasks may include:
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Breaking tasks into smaller, more manageable tasks.
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Using personalised supports to help them start or complete a task.
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Receiving anxiety education (for older children) with support to learn and practise coping strategies
skills to support staying in safe, supervised areas when feeling distressed, overwhelmed, or curious
This type of a behaviour may sometimes be referred to as 'running away' or 'absconding', and it may occur if a child feels distressed, overwhelmed, or curious.
Examples of this behaviour may include:
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Moving away from a group during an excursion or community outing.
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Wandering away from you or a carer to explore something of interest.
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Going into safe areas alone and without permission (eg. roads, car parks)
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Hiding or finding a quiet place away from others without letting anyone know.
FUNCTIONAL GOALS
The goals in your child's program will be tailored to their individual needs and circumstances. An example of functional goals for this focus area may include:
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Developing and practising 'safe exit options', with the ability to use "exit/escape" communication before leaving an area.
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Co-creating and following a safety plan routine.
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Using calming tools to support emotional regulation.
skills to support tolerating anxiety so your child can visit places, engage in activities & try new things
Also known as 'anxiety avoidance', young people may feel anxious or fearful of the unknown, or find it tricky to cope with change or uncertainty. And, when this occurs, you might find them trying to avoid the places, activities and situations that may bring feelings of anxiety. For example:
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Avoiding school, social events, or new experiences.
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Needing a lot of reassurance before giving new things ago (or not wanting to try anything new).
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Withdrawing, staying in their room, or needing to stick to strict routines.
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Becoming distressed or overwhelmed when something feels unfamiliar.
Your child will work towards a number of functional goals. Their goals will be tailored to their needs, but examples of common goals may include:
how our programs work
While there is no formal standardised assessment required to begin one of our programs, we do need to collect information from you and your child to ensure that the program is tailored to their needs. We do this through discussion, observation and questionnaires.
Here's what you can expect after you request a place for your child on one of our 1:1, in-person programs:
01
request our support
Fill in our online referral form. We'll be in touch to discuss your child's goals, confirm their suitability for one of our programs, and collect additional information.
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review program outline
We'll create a basic program outline for your child at no charge to you. If, after reviewing it, you choose to confirm your child's place on the program, we'll collect additional information and formalise their program plan, with goals and measures included.
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get started: skill-building sessions
We'll begin skill-building behaviour therapy sessions with your child at an agreed upon time, frequency and location*. In these sessions, we work on skill-building strategies with your child and support them to practise these skills in the environments they live, learn and play in.
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maintain momentum: coaching
We know that building new skills takes time, practice, and consistent support. That's why we include coaching for parents and supports. In your sessions, we'll help you understand the stratgeies we're using and how best you can support your child outside of program sessions.
*If you are looking to have the program delivered at your child's school, we will need permission from the school before in-school sessions can begin.
REQUEST A SKILL-BASED BEHAVIOUR THERAPY PROGRAM FOR YOUR CHILD
Fill in our online referral form and we'll be in touch to discuss next steps and confirm your child's suitability for one of our programs.
Contact us to discuss your questions and find out about current wait times.
how to access our programs
Our programs are currently available to NDIS participants with Improved Daily Living (IDL) funding.
If your child does not have access to NDIS funding, and you want to discuss the possibility of a privately-funded Skill-Based Behaviour Therapy Program, please contact us.
funding/costs
available locations
adelaide
ballarat
melbourne
Live in Adelaide, within 30 minutes of Ballarat, or in Melbourne's north, north east, north west or west, but can't see your location listed? Contact us to see if we can provide support in your area.
our programs
Our programs focus on supporting your child to develop and practise skills that make daily life easier, more manageable, and more positive - for them and you. A personalised program may address one or two of the following focus areas:
social engagement and participation
Our programs focus on supporting your child to develop and practise skills that make daily life easier, more manageable, and more positive - for them and you. A personalised program may address one or two of the following focus areas:
skills-based behaviour therapy program faqs
available skills-building programs
Our personalised programs are designed to help your child build skills for everyday challenges, including:
social engagement and participation
Providing support with:
School attendance and participation, starting and finishing tasks, building skills to manage anxiety
emotional
regulation
Providing support with:
Emotional regulation (recognising and managing emotions).
conflict repair and problem solving
Providing support with:
Developing conflict resolution and problem-solving skills
SOCIAL CONNECTION, PLAY, PEER INTERACTION
Providing support with:
Developing social play and peer interaction skills
communication requests and self-advocacy
Providing support with:
Communicating needs effectively.
Routines, eating, and sensory behaviour
Providing support with:
Managing sensory sensitivities, expanding food variety and flexibility, and building independence
Routines (available to older teenagers only)
Providing support with:
Building skills for transport use and accessing the community
Program Suitability
MIGHT skills-based behaviour therapy BE right for your child?
These programs may also be beneficial if your child meets the above criteria and is on a long waitlist for other therapies.
is skills-based behaviour theRapy program suitable for your child?
Skills-based behaviour therapy may be suitable for your child if their behaviours and the everyday challenges that they face are:
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Largely related to skill gaps (e.g., communication, emotional regulation, or coping skills).
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Addressable with short-term, focused support.
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Not typically placing them or others at significant risk of harm.
These programs may be accessible to your child if they have Improved Daily Living (IDL) funding.
when might positive behaviour support be APPROPRIATE?
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) may be appropriate if:
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Your child is experiencing more complex or concerning behaviours - for example, behaviours that are causing ongoing distress or may place them or others at risk of harm.
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They may benefit from more intensive, longer-term support, including formal behaviour support plans. In some situations, such plans may include consideration of NDIS-regulated restrictive practices, with a focus on reducing and eliminating their use over time.
Positive Behaviour Support is only accessible with Improved Relationships funding.
NOT SURE IF THESE PROGRAMS ARE RIGHT FOR YOUR CHILD?
We're here to help. Fill in the online referral form and select 'Behaviour Therapy using IDL funds' and we'll be in touch, or contact us directly at 1300 575 329 / 8292 5300 or at info@activ8group.com.au.