Services

Focused therapies - early years

CliniKids offer a wide range of focused therapies for children and babies from as young as six months. We are excited to offer evidence-based therapies that are new to Australia.

Our supports include:

• PACT (Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy)
• JASPER
• ESDM (Early Start Denver Model)

Speech Pathologists at CliniKids focus on supporting children’s speech, language, communication, and social skills. Our Speech Pathologists will work closely with your child and family to set and achieve functional individualised goals. A range of evidence-based intervention approaches are used by our Speech Pathologists. Therapy ranges from naturalistic and child-led through to semi-structured or highly structured formats depending on what will be most beneficial for your child and family.

Our experienced Speech Pathologists provide therapy across all domains, with specialist skills in:

Social communication and play

We support children to learn skills to build strong relationships with important people in their life. This includes sharing attention, play, taking turns, conversation, and other friendship skills.

Language skills

We support children to understand, acquire and use language to understand the world around them and clearly express their thoughts and ideas.  Language skills include (but are not limited to) the use and understanding of words, sentence structure, grammar and storytelling skills. Language skills play an important role in participation in school environments.

Total Communication Approach and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

Using a Total Communication Approach, we support children to use and develop a broad range of skills to communicate and engage with others. In addition to supporting verbal communication, our Speech Pathologists encourage the use of multi modal strategies such as use of pictures, gesture, and body language.  We also use specialist knowledge to assess, prescribe and support children to use aided (e.g. speech generating devices or picture systems) and unaided forms of AAC (e.g. signing).

Speech sound skills

A child’s speech sound skills affect how clearly their speech is understood by those around them.  Our Speech Pathologists work directly with your child to improve your child’s ability to produce and combine speech sounds so they can clearly communicate with others. 

Mealtimes

Eating, drinking and mealtimes are an important part of your child’s daily routine and can be impacted by many factors. We work in a multidisciplinary family centred way to support your child to have more enjoyable, independent, and safe mealtimes.   

If you think your child may benefit from Speech Pathology services, please contact our team.

The aim of Occupational Therapy is to assist each individual to become as independent as possible with everyday skills. A child may benefit from Occupational Therapy if they have difficulties in any of these areas:

• Self-care skills e.g. dressing, undressing, toileting, eating meals, showering, sleep, brushing teeth
• Fine motor skills e.g. handwriting, cutting, using fork and knife, threading beads, tying shoe laces, doing up buttons
• Gross motor skills e.g. walking, running, skipping, kicking a ball, throwing and catching, sitting in a chair, riding a bike
• Play and social skills
• Visual motor skills required for reading and writing
• Sensory processing e.g. being sensitive (avoiding) or being under responsive (seeking) to noise, smell, light, taste, touch and/ or movement
• Emotional regulation and behaviour  
• Skills required for school participation e.g. attention, concentration, homework

Occupational Therapists work closely with the child and parents/ carers during the process which involves the use of standardised and non-standardised assessments, goal setting, intervention and ongoing review of progress. Occupational Therapists also work in close collaboration with teachers and other health professionals.

Occupational Therapists will often work directly with the child (one on one or group therapy sessions) to develop specific skills e.g. to improve handwriting. Occupational Therapists may also work closely with the parents to assist with skills at home e.g. around mealtimes or areas of self-care by upskilling the parents/ carers. Occupational Therapists may also make recommendations around changes in the environment e.g. adapt cutlery or seating to promote independence.

Children with autism can benefit from Occupational Therapy in many ways. For example, an Occupational Therapist can help understand the sensory challenges a child may experience and adapt the environment accordingly or an Occupational Therapist may work with a child to find calming activities to help with their self-regulation.

CliniKids offer a wide range of specialised supports for children including:

• CO-OP (Cognitive Orientation for Daily Occupational Performance)

If you would like to know if your child may benefit from Occupational Therapy, please contact our team.

Here at CliniKids, we understand that raising a child with a developmental difference or autism can come with wonderful moments of joy and very unique challenges.

Our clinical psychologists have extensive experience working with children and their families to address common concerns such as anxiety, self-regulation difficulties, oppositional defiance, low mood, and aggression. We also work directly with siblings and parents to provide whole family support for any difficulties you may be facing.

Our compassionate, understanding clinical psychology team focus first on providing a safe, warm, welcoming space for you and your family to share your story, your strengths and your concerns, then work together with you to better understand what might be underlying the difficulties and develop a plan to move forward together.

The team are trained in a variety of evidence-based intervention techniques, including dyadic developmental psychotherapy, attachment based therapy, mentalisation based therapy, the interpersonal neurobiological approach, cognitive behaviour therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy.

The clinical psychology team work closely with our speech pathologists and occupational therapists to provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary service that is individualised to best suit the unique needs of your family. We offer rebated sessions through a mental health care plan, and private health rebates apply.

What is telehealth?

In the context of CliniKids, telehealth is the use of video conferencing to provide you and your family with access to early intervention therapies, education, and support from a qualified allied health professional. 

What does telehealth look like at CliniKids?

Telehealth is the use of technology to deliver clinical services at a distance by linking the clinician, client and caregiver/s for assessment, intervention and consultation. Just like face to face services, telehealth can be delivered in different ways. Telehealth can be a phone call, video call or email.

At CliniKids we are committed to continuing to work in partnership with you to work towards your child’s goals as well as check in with you. To continue to support your child and family we can individualise telehealth sessions to meet the needs or your child and family. There are different ways that telehealth can be used including:

Primarily working with you

• In the moment coaching: This involves the clinician supporting you to use specific strategies whilst your interacting with your child during a video call. These strategies will be linked to your child’s goals.
• Out of moment coaching: This involves sharing a video with your clinician prior to or during a video call. During the video call you will review the recorded video together and identify strategies to meet your child’s goals.
• Focused discussion: This involves meeting with your clinician/s via video call or phone to discuss the needs of your child and family. This could include setting goals and problem-solving together.

Primarily working with your child

• Working with your child: This involves the clinician working directly with your child during a video call. During the session you will need to be available to provide some assistance with set-up and maintaining your child’s engagement.

Additional supports

• Visual supports: The clinician can help to develop visual supports to assist your child in daily routines and to support communication. For example, developing a visual schedule for washing hands or a choice board for mealtimes.
• Home programs/plan: The clinician can work with you to develop ideas to help you incorporate your child’s therapy goals within daily routines at home.

At CliniKids we can be flexible in how we deliver telehealth services. We now offer assessment, therapy and ongoing management for children and their families through telehealth. Telehealth has developing research in a range of areas. We are committed to using best practice within telehealth and developing further research in this area.

For more information please call our team on  08 6319 1133 or send us an email.

The CliniSibs Program at CliniKids has been designed to provide a place where siblings of children with autism can meet to share their experiences and feel supported to learn new ways of coping. This 6-week after-school group program is facilitated by experienced Clinical Psychologists. Contact us for more information.