Autism Association of WA: Introduction to School Age Therapy

6 | Introduction to School Age Therapy Developing your child’s skills across a range of settings Utilising your therapy supports via a mixture of therapy sessions, at home and school visits, group sessions, parent training, resources and consultative support, allows your child to practice their skills across a number of environments with a number of people. Consultative support and training ensures that the people who are spending the most time with your child, such as teachers and family members, are trained to build therapy supports into your child’s life throughout the day. Home visits Providing therapy support in your home is not only a convenient way to access therapy supports, but it can be a great way to build natural skills in an everyday environment. Accessing therapy at home provides opportunities to work within a familiar setting, with the resources your child is used to. Home visits are also a great way for parents and siblings to become involved and learn key strategies to work towards your child’s goals each day. School visits Many of your child’s goals may be best suited to working within their school setting. Our Therapists are skilled at working with children and their teaching staff within the school to get the most out of their therapy time. Having therapy in school can support your child to learn the key skills to access the curriculum and work on their goals in a familiar setting alongside their teachers and peers. Therapy in school allows your Therapist the opportunity to: • Work on their goals in a familiar setting • Share information between your child’s teachers and education assistants • Ensure your therapy strategies and goals form a key part of your child’s individualised education plan • Support you with attending case conferences and meetings in school. Community visits Therapy supports can also be provided in a range of other community settings such as your local sports club, scouts group, cultural group, after-school care, or Short Breaks (Respite). These visits can be used to upskill support workers, volunteers or coaches working with your child and to offer support while also building the capacity of the setting to provide inclusive supports. Transition support We understand times of transition can be challenging and how they can impact children and adolescents with Autism and their family. Transitions require extra care and attention so our Team support each child and adolescent to prepare and plan for new changes such as transitioning from Early Intervention to School Age Therapy supports, changing school years, moving from primary school to high school, and preparing for adult life. We work with each individual, their family, school and community supports to create successful transitions and also provide comprehensive planning and preparation for the future beyond school.

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