Page 1598 - Week 05 - Thursday, 7 April 2005
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In 2001-02 a specialised behaviour management program commenced servicing children with a diagnosis of autism, cerebral palsy or a syndrome who were in a mainstream school. Referrals were taken from the school for students with severe behavioural issues. This program provided:
• Intervention;
• Training; and
• Case management.
In 2002-03 the responsibility for autism assessment was moved from CAMHS to CHADS.
Respite services were provided through Kesse and Teen House. The Government also funded NGOs such as FaBRIC and Community Options, Carers Association and Community Connections to assist families.
An Intake service for Therapy ACT was developed to:
• Provide information regarding provision of services; and
• Referral for clinical and support services.
(3) Clients of the service are seen on a needs basis not on a diagnosis basis. No statistical data has been kept related to intervention to a specific client group. Statistical data is available in relevant Departments annual reports.
(4) The data is not readily available. Some databases used during this time period did not record diagnosis.
(5) The Government maintains output measures as to the number of hours of service provided, client satisfaction ratings, teacher satisfaction ratings, number of inservices given, evaluations of programs and training sessions. Individual families in conjunction with the therapy team, develop their own goals and each family evaluates the success.
(6) The therapists provided support and training into various community organisations such as scouts, gym programs, Pegasus. Families accessed various support services such as respite, child and after school car, as part of their overall intervention.
(7) Therapists provide input into a range of community settings as part of each client’s overall intervention, according to the issues that are identified by the therapists, clients and their families. See answer 4.
(8) Therapists provide information and training that reflects current professional standards and practice. The ACT Government has provided a range of professional development opportunities to Therapy ACT staff to ensure that their skills are developed and maintained in the area of autism. See answer 5.
(9) Yes. Two staff positions were created for the special schools - one speech pathologist and a physiotherapy position. These positions were used to service children with complex needs, including autism, who attended the special schools. Services were also provided in a range of community settings, including at home, childcare, afterschool, respite and other environments the client accessed.
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