Early Intervention Program
The Charles Street Clinic is founded on the principle that every person, no matter their age or ability, seeks security, empowerment, and confidence in their current stage of life. Our Early Intervention Program is about building strong attachments, connections and self-efficacy with those goals in mind.
The Charles Street Clinic Early Intervention Program has been developed over 25 years by Darin Cairns. Darin is a highly experienced clinician in the area of early intervention therapy and has written and implemented developmental programs for more than 500 children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and related conditions aged 12 months to 10 years old.
Based on his experience, Darin has been an invited speaker by numerous government and non-government organizations to discuss his work, such as:
- Education Department of Western Australia
- Education Support South Network
- Education Support North Network
- School Psychology Association of Western Australia
- Speech Pathology Australia
- WA Special Needs Principals Conference
- Applied Behaviour Analysis Australia
- The Australian Psychology Society (APS)Clinical Psychology Conference
- Family Court of Western Australia
- Department of Communities (DCPFS)
- The Australian Psychology Society (APS)
- Association for Contextual Behavioural Science International (ACBS International)
- Australia & New Zealand Chapter Association for Contextual Behavioural Science (ANZ ACBS)
- Autism Behavioural Intervention Association (ABIA)
- Association for Behaviour Analysis Australia
The Charles Street Clinic Early Intervention Program is best practice, evidence-based and scientifically supported (see for most recent Interventions for children on the autism spectrum: A synthesis of research evidence). Most importantly, it is family and child-centered, with a strong focus on being transparent and working with caregivers as a team. Importantly, our program is also designed to integrate and facilitate other therapies and approaches, leading to invitations by other professional organizations to speak of our model but also by other therapists and services (e.g. Principals, teachers, Students at Academic Risk Coordinators) to join in monthly program reviews.
As cited in Whitehouse, A., Varcin, K., Waddington, H., Sulek, R., Bent, C., Ashburner, J., Eapen, V., Goodall, E., Hudry, K., Roberts, J., Silove, N., Trembath, D. Interventions for children on the autism spectrum: A synthesis of research evidence. Autism CRC, Brisbane, 2020
Practically, our program is developmental and attachment-based, strongly relying on data-based decision-making and parent/guardian feedback. The overarching goal is to empower both the child and the family to meet their goals and personal potential. With this in mind, The Charles Street Clinic Early Intervention Program reflects that every child and family are unique and must navigate their own personal circumstance. There can be no ‘one size fits all’, and regular and transparent reviewing of strategies developed is done throughout program participation so we can better customise our approaches (see below example) as we learn about each child and family situation with different ways of measuring, giving different insights to help with planning for and understanding a child’s needs.
What our Early Intervention Program involves;
- An initial Intake Assessment to identify
- Current Developmental levels across all domains of your child’s functioning
- Means by which your child learns from and attaches to others for guidance
- Assessment of cognitive and motivational variables unique to your child
- Programs developed to target specific skill needs for your child
- Programs developed to empower you to promote your child’s development and well-being in your home and the community
- Therapy Assistant in the home and related natural learning contexts
- Monthly reviews of data with family and therapy assistant (see example of a goal)
- Inclusion and liaising with Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists and other professionals included in your child’s care and therapy network
- Annual Reporting for NDIS and review of progress that year as per NDIS guidelines
Positive Behaviour Support Program and Behaviour Support Plans
Meaningful – Lasting – Empowerment
The Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) service at The Charles Street Clinic has been developed by Darin Cairns. Darin, an NDIS registered Specialist Behaviour Support Practitioner, won a Public Sector Innovation award for the Positive Behaviour Program developed at the Disability Services Commission of WA.
Darin has also had his work regarding relationships between individuals in their environments published in internationally recognised textbooks on family systems and development [Coyne, L. & Cairns, D (2014). The Role of Relational Responding in Coercive Interactions. In the Oxford Handbook of Coercive Relationship Dynamics. Edited by J. Snyder and T. Dishion].
Our Behaviour Support Plans (BSP) exceed NDIS standards, and we use the recommended BIP QE II auditing tool for quality control of all our programs across all our practitioners.
The Charles Street Clinic Behaviour Support Plans (BSP) are detailed and comprehensive and exceed NDIS standards. Our team of NDIS registered behaviour support practitioners use the recommended BIP QE II auditing tool for quality control in all our programs.
The Charles Street Clinic Positive Behaviour Support Program is person-centered and development and empowerment-focused. Our plans are specifically designed to help all stakeholders and carers know how to fulfil their caring goals and meet the needs of the person they care for in a way that leads to lasting, meaningful change. Our plans are designed to be easily implemented and monitored for a clear review of results and positive impact.
We understand that one of the key roles a BSP practitioner plays is empowering caregivers and professional support. Our approach is to provide extensive training and support for all concerned and develop and provide specific resources to promote change for the practitioner and support based on best practice strategies that can be measured and regularly reviewed for efficacy.
We recognise that each situation and person is unique, and resources and the recommended approaches will reflect this fact of life for all of us.
The Charles Street Clinic Behaviour Support Plan Involves ;
- NDIS required information
- Functional Assessment
- Clearly outlined strategies for the 5 main intervention types used in PBS
- Coordination Plans for training and supporting caregivers and professional supports that are practical and reflect the realities of the family and support situation
- Close collaboration with other professionals throughout.
- Monitor plans to allow for clear measurement and data-informed decision-making.
- Report data in clear easy to understand formats to NDIS annually or as requested (see an example below)
- Training programs tailored for the person and their support.
Example of Data Summarised for NDIS reporting purposes.
All reports are presented in easy-to-read and interpreted formats that are consistent with NDIS guidelines around communication approaches, as well as clear examples of evidence-based practice.
If you wish to contact us to discuss our Positive Behaviour Support Program and approach, please do not hesitate to contact us on (08)6327 9554.
