Social Tailored

ASD Support Resources

Autism Support Resources assist educators in providing a more inclusive educational experience for students on the Autism Spectrum including a sensory room and visual supports. For more information please refer to the following link https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/learningneeds/Pages/supportmaterials.aspx.

Student Profiles

Student profiles are developed for students to provide teachers and teacher assistants with a snapshot so they can quickly cater to the learning styles of the child. A profile will include the students’ name, photo and date of birth. It will also include medical and disability information, their current literacy, numeracy and personal and social goal. It highlights their likes, dislikes, any special considerations and how they learn best. Student Profiles accompany student IEPs.

Sensory Toolkit

Sensory toolkits or Busy Boxes are small boxed or bags that contain few items that can help students to feel grounded. You may want to have a larger box tucked away so you can swap the items over to maintain engagement.

Optimising your toolkit

Sensory resources can help with ‘overactivated’ trigger states (anger, panic, anxiety) or ‘under activated” trigger states (numbness, depression, dissociation).

A list of possible items to place in your toolkit

Manipulatable

- A beaded necklace or bracele
- Fidget toys
- Putty or plasticine
- Pipe cleaners
- Temperature changing:
- Hand warmers
- Heating pad
- Cooling lotion or salve with peppermint or menthol
- Gel eye mask (kept it in the fridge)
- Instant cold packs

Sight

- Images or photos of a few people, places or pets that evoke positive feelings or memories
- Images or art with soothing colours
- Notes with meaningful quotes or affirmations
- A snow globe or glitter jar
- Flameless colour changing candles

Sound

- Earbuds or noise cancelling headphone
- A calming playlist, with music, meditations, stories or nature sounds

Touch

- Soft, squeezable
- Stuffed animal
- Body pillow
- Weighted blanket
- Craft feathers or pom-poms

Scent

- Essential oils added to cloth or bean bags
- Calming and soothing scents: Lavender, vanilla, sandalwood, neroli.
- Energizing scents: Citrus, eucalyptus, peppermint

Cognitive

- Puzzles
- Jigsaws
- Construction toys e.g. Meccano
- Pens, textas crayons
- Paper, colouring in or activity sheets

Speech Therapy

Speech therapy is the assessment and treatment of communication problems and speech disorders. It is performed by speech-language pathologists (SLPs), which are often referred to as speech therapists. Speech therapy techniques are used to improve communication. These include articulation therapy, language intervention activities, and others depending on the type of speech or language disorder. Speech therapy may be needed for speech disorders that develop in childhood or speech impairments in adults caused by an injury or illness, such as stroke or brain injury.
MEC employs external therapists to support students who need specialised intervention. The therapists upskill the staff who support the students so that the students are continually given the resources or interventions they required. This may occur through direct training or professional learning. This upskilling is often accompanied by student-specific plans or guides.
The therapist may also assess and support students on an individual basis.
The school currently has employs the following therapists.
P-6 Area
1x Speech Therapists – MDHS
Specialist Setting
1x Speech Therapists – MDHS
1 x Occupational Therapist – Top to Toe
1 x Physiotherapist – PINARC.
This therapy provision is distinct from the therapist provided through DET Student Support Services.

Speech Therapy Aided Program SPAides

The SPAides program is supported by the SPAides coordinator. The SPAides coordinator oversees the running of the SPAides program in the P-6 area of the school.

Key aspects include:

Liaising with SSS Speech Pathologist and MDHS Speech Pathologist to support students who require speech and language support
Liaise with SSS Speech Pathologist to identify students to be part of the SPAides program
Follow up consent forms for students partaking in the SPAides program and upload to SOCS
Create a timetable and include time to work with individuals and groups of students on developing their speech and language
Develop resources to support the program.

Speech Pathology Aided Programs (SPAides) helps schools provide regular, consistent therapy services to students with speech and language difficulties. The SPAies program supports Speech Pathologists to deliver an effective school-based therapy service.

The SPAides program trains Education Support Officers to deliver therapy programs under the supervision of a Speech Pathologist or Therapist. Students receive therapy sessions per week, which results in more rapid progress towards speech-language goals. Speech Pathologists also benefit from an easier to manage caseload.

The program is successfully running in hundreds of primary schools in Victoria and over a thousand Education Support Officers have been trained as therapy assistants.

Program Structure

The Speech Pathologist assesses the student and prepares an Individual Therapy Plan. The therapy plan is demonstrated to the Teacher Assistant. The TA carries out the program regularly.

The Speech Pathologist regularly observes a session to provide support and guidance to the assistant. Student progress is recorded using Therapy Outcome Measures which give the Speech Pathologist a clear view of the progress made and allows adjustment of the therapy plan if required.

At the end of each term, the Speech Pathologist reviews the student’s progress and prepares a report. The report is proved to teachers and parents.

Student Support Services

The MEC Student Services Support is staffed by a team of people who are responsible for the care and wellbeing of students at Maryborough Education Centre. The team consists of Student Wellbeing Officers for P-6, 7-12, Specialist as well as the schools Family Liaison Officer. We have recently been able to welcome a Mental Health Practitioner to our team.
Student Support Services support children and young people who are dealing with issues that are impacting their learning and wellbeing. This service provides advice and direction to enable a satisfactory outcome to be achieved.
Individual counselling is available to support students who may be dealing with sadness, relationships issues, financial problems, student conflict or sensitive family matters. The importance of counselling is to assist students to work through their issues and concerns and to seek solutions.
Student Support Services are also supported by a broad range of department professionals including visiting psychologists, guidance officers, speech pathologists, social workers and teachers. These professionals work as part of an integrated health and wellbeing team within networks of schools, to support and assist children and young people faced with learning barriers to achieve their educational and developmental potential. They provide strategies and specialised support at individual, group, school and network levels.
Student Support Services also have an excellent relationship and work in collaboration with a number of external services and agencies within the community to identify and intervene early with children and young people who have additional needs or are at risk of disengagement.

Student Support Services support children and young people who are dealing with issues that are impacting their learning and wellbeing. This service provides advice and direction to enable a satisfactory outcome to be achieved.

Individual counselling is available to support students who may be dealing with sadness, relationships issues, financial problems, student conflict or sensitive family matters. The importance of counselling is to assist students to work through their issues and concerns and to seek solutions.

Student Support Services also have an excellent relationship and work in collaboration with several external services and agencies within the community to identify and intervene early with children and young people who have additional needs or are at risk of disengagement.

St Luke’s-Connect Central Reconnect Program-to support young people aged 12-18 to remain connected to their families.
St Luke’s- Youth Connections- provide support to young people who are disengaged or at risk of disengaging from school.
CASA-Centre Against Sexual Assault
DHS- Department of Human Services
CAMHS-Child Adolescent Mental Health Service

Child Protection-investigate matters where it is believed that a child is at risk of harm
RODDW worker- Rural Outreach Drug & Alcohol Counsellor
Denis Farell-Youth Police Resource Officer
Maryborough District Health Service.