What is community therapy?

Community Therapy, where our speech pathologists come to you… wherever your child’s life is.

It might be in your home, at the shops, at the café, in the playground, at their child-care centre or somewhere else. Sometimes we need to get out of the clinic and into the real world, to support your child to: transfer skills learnt, problem solve situations, increase you and your child’s confidence or work out what your child needs in an environment with peers. Sometimes coming into the clinic may be too challenging so we visit at home, where it is relaxed and familiar. In our West Burleigh and Murwillumbah precincts, we don’t need to wander too far to provide other types of community therapy such as sessions in local café precincts, Schuster’s Park or Knox park. At other times we really need to problem solve and partner with your child’s early childhood setting to support their skills amongst peers and develop social skills. Every week our speech pathologists support specialty community programs like the ACE Program at Imagine Child Care Centre (Nerang) for children with autism spectrum disorders.

Community therapy helps the child and family to build their capacity and supports greater inclusion in community and every day settings amongst their peers and in early childhood programs.

Community therapy sessions can be accommodated in regular visits through the term (travel charges apply) as well as occasional visits in the school holidays. We often utilise our therapy assistants to support these services weekdays and Saturdays. Some of our new group programs also provide community therapy opportunities. Our speech pathologists visit the ACE Programme two days a week, for 48 weeks of the year.

Where in the Community?

In your home

Where life happens

In early childhood centres

In the ACE Programme

The ACE (Autism Connect Early) Programme by Ashton’s Place is located in Nerang Imagine Child Care Centre. Their approach is to uniquely cater to autistic children and ensure programme content is developed to be relevant and meaningful. The ACE program has speech pathologists, occupational therapists and psychologists on-site, relieving the stress on families and children of having to access a variety of therapists across different locations.