Individual Supports & Therapy Services

We support inclusive practices through collaborative, family-centred planning, resource development, professional training, and parent coaching.

Our therapists and educators work with childcares, kindergartens and schools to create inclusive environments so your child can successfully participate alongside their peers.

Our professional staff will:

• Support you to develop personalised goals for your child.
• Help you build effective relationships with your child’s support staff.
• Utilise evidence-informed practices to support your child.
• Coordinate and collaborate planning sessions and meetings with you and your child’s support staff.
• Support your child alongside their peers and develop strategies that include children at a whole class level.
• Support your child’s emotional, social and learning development at every step.

Available for your child at all early education settings & schools in Queensland. Sessions are available at AQ centres, your child’s school, early childhood centre, vocational service, or home etc. Fees apply, NDIS funding may be used if applicable.

Occupational therapy facilitates the development, improvement or maintenance of skills. Occupational therapists provide alternative ways of performing a task; or modifies the environment to enable an individual to participate in their everyday life activities.

AQ’s occupational therapists can work together with individuals of all ages to support independence and help them reach their potential.

Areas we can assist with include:

• Daily living such as self-care activities (e.g., dressing, toileting, eating, grooming etc.)
• Household and community access (e.g. using public transport, money handling, shopping, food preparation and other household tasks etc)
• Work, employment or volunteer opportunities
• Understanding and managing sensory processing
• Emotional regulation, stress management and calming techniques
• Play skills and leisure
• Social participation (e.g., forming friendships and relationships, interacting with others such as classmates or work colleagues)
• Motor skills such as gross motor and coordination
• School-based skills (e.g., attention, organisation, handwriting/ typing, cutting, numeracy/literacy)
• Positive behaviour support.

When helping very young children, our occupational therapists work with the child and their parents, individually, and as part of a transdisciplinary team in early childhood intervention group programs.

Please note Psychology services are available at AQ Cairns, AQ Sunnybank Hills, AQ Gold Coast, or statewide via Telepractice but are currently unavailable at all other AQ centres due to high demand. Waitlists for all other AQ centres are currently closed.

• If this is an emergency please call 000.
• You can also contact the ​Mental health access line on 1300 64 2255 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636;
• To find a psychologist, please refer to the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc and/or the Australian Psychological Society search finder.

AQ’s psychologists support autistic individuals and their families in many ways including:

• Psychometric assessments – cognitive assessments, learning disorders, emotional and social difficulties, behavioural difficulties
• Increasing individuals’ understanding and ability to manage their emotions
• Supporting individuals and families in positive behaviour support for intense and/or challenging behaviours
• Support with developing social connections.
• Difficulties with relationships
• Conflict resolution
• Mental health disorders such as anxiety, OCD, depression, ADHD through the model of CBT (Cognitive behaviour therapy) and other interventions
• Transitioning through different life stages
• School refusal
• Trauma/attachment
• Emotional regulation (e.g. anxiety, anger management issues)
• Family issues and parenting support.
• Problems adjusting to life changes
• Emotional regulation, stress management and calming techniques.

Please note: Social Work services are available at AQ Gold Coast or statewide via Telepractice.

Social work is a tertiary-qualified (Requiring a master’s degree or 4 year bachelor minimum) profession recognised nationally and internationally that supports individuals, families, groups and communities to improve their wellbeing. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility, and respect for diversity are central to the profession and are underpinned by theories of social work, social sciences, humanities and Indigenous knowledge. (AASW, 2023).

Social Workers can assist with:

• Assessment and Planning that supports your need for NDIS funding which may include functional capacity assessments, psychosocial assessments or other clinical assessments, such as functioning, developmental, environmental and risk assessments.

• Therapeutic counselling supports (individual and group).

• Early intervention supports for early childhood.

• Assistance in coordinating or managing life stages, transitions and supports.

• Supporting you to create and maintain informal supports.

• Supporting you to engage with the systems around you more effectively.

• Support with goal setting.

• Support to manage safety and wellbeing

• Support with emotional regulation

• Support with behaviour.

NDIS Pricing arrangement Line Items:

• Early Childhood Professional – Social Worker- within the Early Childhood Supports (younger than 7) section – item number 15_005_0118_1_3

• Assessment Recommendation Therapy or Training – Social Worker’ within the Therapy Supports (7 or older) section – item number 15_621_0128_1_3

Speech pathologists play a key role in helping individuals who have difficulties with communication. They can also assist those people who have difficulty with mealtimes, including sensitivities to foods and drinks, or safely swallowing food and drink.

Communication and social interaction challenges are an integral part of the autism diagnosis and many autistic people  can benefit greatly from further developing their skills in these areas.

For young children, speech pathology (also referred to as speech therapy) is recommended as early as possible to achieve maximum results. Older children and adults, including those who have not previously accessed intervention, can also benefit greatly.

AQ’s speech pathologists deliver assessment and therapy for all ages, in the clinic, at home, and in the community. Some of the skill areas in which they can provide assistance include:

• Language (using and understanding language)
• Speech (the articulation of spoken words)
• Social Interaction (skills needed to communicate successfully with others)
• Mealtime (mealtime strategies, fussy eaters and restricted diets, safety in swallowing)
• Literacy (spelling and reading)
• Play Skills
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Systems.

When helping very young children, our speech pathologists work with the child and their parents, individually, and as a member of a multidisciplinary team in early childhood intervention group programs.

Older children may receive support from a speech pathologist to support academic and social communication development. Adults accessing a speech pathologist can work together to improve participation in life activities at home, work, and in the community.

Supports to ensure a smooth and successful transition for your child’s next educational step. Suitable for students transitioning to Prep, primary school, high school, or beyond.

We will support families and schools to work together to understand your child’s individual support needs (e.g. communication, social participation, behaviour) and create a more inclusive environment.

Over 8-10 sessions, AQ’s multidisciplinary transition supports team will guide you and your child through this exciting stage of their life. These sessions cover essential components including:

• Planning meetings and preparing for readiness and check-ins etc.
• Collaborative partnerships, individualised transition plans and strategies and provision of resources.
• Supported visits to schools/centres of your child’s education setting and the provision of in-school support (approval from your child’s school is required).
• Helping students and young adults transitioning out of school into work/university.

Sessions are available at AQ centres, your child’s school, early childhood centre, vocational service, or home etc. Fees apply, NDIS funding may be used if applicable.

AQ’s practitioners can provide all Individual Supports and Therapy services through videoconferencing or phone calls. This can be particularly useful for people who not live locally to one of our six centres, but also those who are unable to attend in person and prefer to receive therapy online. Please note therapy is delivered in real time, and may also involve the use of pre-recorded videos, images, and online resources.

Research into Telepractice shows this method of therapy can be just as effective as many face-to-face services. In fact, some approaches have resulted in better outcomes than when used in face to face formats.

Learn more about AQ Telepractice here.