EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICES
For young children approx. 0-7 years
Early diagnosis followed by structured, individualised services can make a significant difference in the lives of young autistic children. Autism Queensland provides a range of services to assist young children, their families and the professionals who support them.
Jump to: Request Service/Make Enquiry | Services Overview
EarlyAQtion services are available at AQ Centres in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay and Cairns. Our services may also be available in other areas of Queensland or via telepractice. Please reach out to us today if you are interested in a service.
Autism Queensland offers a range of early childhood services, including Kindi*, small therapy groups, individual therapy, diagnostic assessments and more.
Developed and delivered by therapy and education professionals with expertise in autism, these services focus on key elements including behaviour, social and motor skills, and family-based interventions to meet the needs of children and their families.
Please note that fees apply to EarlyAQtion services and waitlists may apply. Have an older child? Check out our services for school-aged children and adolescents here.
*EarlyAQtion Kindi groups not available at AQ Gold Coast (other small therapy groups and services available).
Request an EarlyAQtion Service / Make an Enquiry
Before submitting an enquiry for a service, please note that fees apply to EarlyAQtion services and supports.
If you are a NEW client wanting to request a service or seeking more information please click here to fill out our online enquiry form.
If you are an EXISTING client wanting to request a service or seeking more information please click here to send us an email with details.
EarlyAQtion Services Overview
EarlyAQtion services comprise targeted autism-specific programs and supports for young autistic children and their families as well as a range of services for organisations and professionals working with and supporting them.
Services for young autistic children, their parents/carers and family members:
Behaviour Supports
Positive Behaviour Support looks to decrease behaviours of concern and increase the person’s quality of life. AQ’s Behaviour Support Service consists of a functional behaviour assessment, recommendations of preventative, proactive and reactive strategies, including any assessment of restrictive practices, the training of staff and carers in how to implement the plan.
Diagnostic Assessments
AQ has a multidisciplinary team of psychologists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists who are qualified to conduct a range of assessments with children, adolescents and adults for diagnostic and other purposes. Assessments include:
- Child & Adolescent Diagnostic Assessment
- Adult Diagnostic Assessment
- ADOS-2 (as requested by medical specialist)
- Other assessments (occupational therapy, speech pathology, etc).
*Not available at AQ Gladstone or Rockhampton.
Inclusion & Transition Supports
AQ therapists and educators work with childcare centres, kindergartens, and schools to create inclusive environments where your child can successfully participate alongside their peers.
EarlyAQtion Inclusion & Transition Supports are co-designed with you and your child’s early education setting or school and can be accessed short or long term, depending on your child’s needs. This service is also available as an extension to current services, or in combination with existing supports. Available at all early education settings and schools in Queensland.
Individual Therapy
AQ delivers face to face speech pathology, occupational therapy & psychology* services for all ages from our centres across Queensland, and statewide through telepractice.
Our practitioners have a broad range of experience, skills and additional certifications to best cater to the individual needs of the person accessing their services.
Kindi Groups
For young children ages 2-6 years.*
EarlyAQtion Kindi supports young children up to school entry age to develop the skills necessary for successful participation in home and community, and to transition into the next stage of their education. The groups are holistic, family-focused and transdisciplinary, with all areas of your child’s development being addressed, and staff having expertise and input across all areas of functioning.
*EarlyAQtion Kindi groups not available at AQ Gold Coast (other small therapy groups and services available).
Parent Coaching & Education
Parent Education
AQ delivers autism-focused workshops, webinars, and specialised training services for a range of audiences including:
- Parents & carers
- Therapists, support workers, consultants
- Educators, teacher aides, teachers, school staff
- OHSC & Vacation Care staff and others.
Parent Coaching – Circle of Security (COS)™ program
AQ* delivers the Circle of Security (COS) Parenting™ program, based on decades of research about how secure parent-child relationships can be supported and strengthened. Exploring the needs of your child with a clinician experienced in autism and with other parents of children with autism will assist you in building your parental confidence and connect with other parents.
*AQ is currently only taking expressions of interest for this service in Cairns. Please contact us for more details.
PlayConnect+ Playgroups
PlayConnect+ Playgroups are delivered by the State and Territory Playgroup Associations as part of a consortium led by Autism Queensland and funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services as part of the National Early Childhood Program (NECP).
The program is also supported by the State Autism Associations.
PlayConnect+ groups are open to all children with disability and/or development delay aged 0-8 years, their families, carers and siblings.
Telepractice Services
AQ offers services via online conference, or what we refer to as “Telepractice” with our speech pathologists, occupational therapists and psychologists.
They are easy to navigate, and allow for interaction in many ways, such as:
- Live via interaction with ability to immediately share documents, videos and other resources
- Online visual cues or playing online games using a shared screen
- Working on documents or forms in real time
- Parent/carer training and coaching.
Therapy Groups
AQ offers a range of evidence-informed therapy groups for autistic children, adolescents and adults. These groups are developed and delivered by a team of therapy and education professionals with expertise in autism.
Our therapy groups focus on individual goals of the participant and their families and highlight areas of concern including behaviour, developmental and social participation, motor skills, transitioning to school, making friends, anxiety, daily living activities and independent lifestyles.
Transitioning to Prep in 2024
Over 8-10 sessions from October 2023-March 2024, AQ’s multidisciplinary transition supports team can guide your child (and you) as they transition to Prep.
An increasing body of evidence supports the notion that children who have a positive start to school are likely to engage well and experience academic and social success (Denkyirah & Magbeke, 2010; Forest et al., 2004).
We will support families and schools to work together to understand your child’s individual support needs (eg communication, social, behaviour etc) with planning meetings, supported visits to schools and planning for school readiness, school check-ins and more.
We believe the essential components to ensuring you and your child enjoy a smooth and successful transition to Prep are:
- Collaborative partnerships.
- An Individualised transition plan and resources.
- Provision of in-school support.
AQ’s transition supports are co-designed with you, your child and their school to ensure success:
- We will spend time getting to know your child and your family so we can understand what is important to you and what supports will help your child with their transition to school.
- We will work with you to develop personalised goals for your child.
- We will support you to build effective relationships with your child’s school and staff.
- We will utilise evidence-informed practices to support your child.
- We will support your child alongside their peers.
Please note fees apply for this service. This service is charged under the Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living section of your NDIS Plan. If you do not have funding in this specific Support Category, please discuss with your NDIS EC Partner or phone the NDIS on 1800 800 110.
Available through all AQ centres (Gold Coast, Brisbane (Sunnybank Hills & Brighton), Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton and Cairns.) Can be accessed face to face, online, or a combination of both.
If your child is a NEW client and you would like to request this service or seek more information please click here to fill out our online enquiry form.
If your child is an EXISTING client please click here to send us an email with details.
Services for organisations and professionals:
Consultancy Services
Inclusion Consultancy Services
Our helpful and experienced autism specialists can partner with you and your teams to provide expert guidance around developing inclusive and innovative spaces/activities that are accessible to everyone. Available consultancy services include:
- Early Childhood Inclusion Services
- School Autism Consultancy Inclusion Services
- Community & Corporate Organisation Inclusion Services
Diagnostic Assessments & Individual Support
Allied Health & Diagnostic Assessments
AQ has a multidisciplinary team of psychologists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists who are qualified to conduct a range of assessments with children, adolescents and adults for diagnostic and other purposes. Assessments include:
- Child & Adolescent Diagnostic Assessment
- Adult Diagnostic Assessment
- ADOS-2 (as requested by medical specialist)
- Other assessments (occupational therapy, speech pathology, etc).
*Not available at AQ Gladstone or Rockhampton.
Individual Supports
Targeted supports addressing developmental and independence skills such as communication, toileting, eating and drinking, etc. Please email [email protected] for more information.
Kindergarten Inclusion Service
Kindy is for all children, and children of all abilities. AQ is proud to work with the Queensland Department of Education to deliver this free service to Queensland Approved Kindergartens Including State Delivered Kindergartens.
All children and families benefit from having access to inclusive early learning and development activities that promote positive outcomes, and we’re ready to support approved kindergartens to be inclusion ready for children with additional and complex needs.
The AQ Kindy Inclusion Service Team can offer advice, support and resources to empower and upskill educators in kindergarten programs to create a welcoming place so all children can learn in ways that work best for them.
We look forward to supporting kindergarten teachers and educators in their important work.
Professional Development & Education
AQ delivers autism-focused workshops, webinars, and specialised training services for a range of audiences including:
- Parents & carers
- Therapists, support workers, consultants
- Educators, teacher aides, teachers, school staff
- OHSC & Vacation Care staff and others.
Targeted, Short Term Staff Support
AQ can provide assistance to your team with:
- Individual Planning
- Positive Behaviour Support Plans and behaviour interventions
- Development of Transition Plans
- Designing and implementation of environmental and curriculum adjustments
- Coaching and mentoring.
Please email [email protected] for more information.
Therapy Groups
Developed in collaboration with your early childhood team.
These therapy groups are developed in collaboration with your early childhood team to meet the needs of the autistic children attending your centre. These therapy groups target learning to play, school readiness, anxiety etc.
Please email [email protected] for more information.
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