Autism Clinic
JBCP provides specialist autism diagnostic and management services for children, adolescents and their families. Our goal is to build an ongoing relationship with the children & families diagnosed at our service. We want to be on the journey with you for 'the long-haul' - from diagnosis through to senior high school and entry to post-school life.
1) Diagnostic Assessment: JBCP provides evidence-based assessments of traits consistent with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for children and young people, starting from 24 months of age. Because early intervention is critical if a young person is to make maximum progress, the sooner a reliable diagnosis is achieved, the sooner an effective intervention plan can commence.
Our diagnostic process starts with an initial screening assessment (to establish whether current observations suggest the need for a full assessment). If the screening process suggests the presence of an ASD, a full assessment of adaptive behaviour and autism traits is recommended. Children are diagnosed using observational data from home, pre/school and the clinic, as well as through tools such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI-R).
2) Early Intervention: Children under 7 years of age are offered treatment in our early intervention program. The program consists of coordinating speech pathology, occupational therapy and child psychology services through our early intervention team. Initially children attend 1-on-1 sessions to build core communication, social, and behavioural skills. When ready, children are offered places in our small group training sessions with their peers.
3) Ongoing Intervention: Children aged 7 or older are provided with either individual or group-based skills training which target social communication, social interaction and behavioural skills deficits.
4) Parent Education & Support: Raising a child on the autism spectrum is a life-long challenge for parents! At JBCP we are committed to developing programs that educate and support parents in their journey. At present we offer:
