Meet with a Psychologist
Receiving a diagnosis of Autism and starting an early intervention (ABA Therapy) program can be very overwhelming for families. Our Play Psychologists, can meet with your family to discuss ABA Therapy and your child, and to answer any general questions you may have about starting ABA therapy and PLAY Psychology Services.
(Optional & Free 30 min session)
This service is free for Eastern Melbourne based clients only, and does not consist of any direct intervention/assessments with your child.
Complete Enrolment forms
Tell us about your child on the Client Information Form
To begin services please fill out the following forms and return them to PLAY Psychology:
A) Client Information form – (telling us about your child)
B) PLAY Psychology Services Agreement
To obtain a copy of the forms please call PLAY PSYCHOLOGY on 0421 865410
Forms can be returned by Post or Email.
Get to know our services policies on the PLAY Psychology Services Agreement pages.
Book an Assessment with a PLAY Psychologist
Upon receiving your forms and client information (see step 2), a Psychologist will call to arrange aday/time to come to your home and complete a play based developmental assessment with your child.
The assessment (1.5-2 hours) includes activities such as: puzzles, working with blocks, looking at pictures in a book, ball play, puppet play, bubbles, matching and sorting games, colouring, drawing and play dough activities.
The assessment allows the Psychologist to see how your child is functioning in each area of their development including: language skills, play skills, fine & gross motor skills, self-help skills, attention skills, etc.
From this assessment, your Psychologist can develop an individualized set of goals, learning programs & activities for your child.
PLAY Psychology creates your child’s individualised learning program
When the assessment is complete your Play Psychologist develops:
A) An Assessment Report summarizing your child’s developmental abilities.
B) A Program folder complete with individualised programs and learning activities is developed for your child’s specific needs. These activity sheets are presented in a crisp, easy to use, Play Psychology Folder.
Initial copies of data and note taking sheets are provided.
C) An individual list of toys/materials to be utilized in the therapy sessions such as: puzzles, blocks, flash cards, colouring books, play dough etc. is formulated for your child.
*These materials should be organised before therapy begins.
Select Therapists to work with your child
Play Psychology works closely with a number of private Senior ABA Therapists.
We are happy to pass their contact details on to you.
Alternatively we can guide you in advertising/hiring a suitable therapist.
Please ask us for our information sheet on “hiring an ABA therapist”.
PLAY Psychology runs an ABA Therapy Theory Workshop for your family and therapists (optional)
If your family and Therapists have not already completed an approved ABA workshop, we will complete an ABA Theory Workshop with you and your therapists.
For children with Autism, the learning techniques of ABA Therapy become a part of every day life so it is important for parents and therapists to attend this workshop.
In this 3 hour Worksop we will cover the topics of:
Autism, How children with Autism can learn, ABA Therapy, Discrete Trial Teaching, Prompting, Fading, & Reinforcement. The workshop is interactive and it includes role plays, DVD’s, and hands on demonstrations.
PLAY Psychology Program Handover & 1st Therapy Session
During this workshop, your Psychologist will run the first therapy session with your child. With the help of your therapists, your Psychologist will demonstrate how to run each of the learning activities/programs in your child’s folder. It is compulsory for all therapists to attend this workshop.
After this 1st Therapy session Intensive Therapy can then begin!
*To ensure that your child gets the most out of their ABA Therapy Program, Play Psychology recommends a minimum of daily therapy (3 hours) per day (Mon-Fri).
Your PLAY Psychologist reviews your child’s progress every 2 weeks
Each fortnight for 2 hours your Psychologist will come to your home to meet with your child and team of therapists. Regular meetings with your Psychologist are critical to getting the most out of your ABA Program. These case meetings are a time to observe how your child is progressing with the learning activities/programs. New goals/activities can be provided if your child has mastered the set learning goals, therapists are provided with ongoing supervision, motivation, support and training, recommendations for managing behaviours can be provided, and strategies are provided to solve any learning difficulties
*It is compulsory for all therapists to attend these case meetings.
Monthly case meetings are available for children who have received at least 3 months of Play Psychology Therapy. Please discuss this option with your Psychologist.