Creative STEPS

GROUP FOCUS

Our purpose is to provide access to innovative and effective programmes that will assist those at risk; so that they may socially and emotionally understand and function comfortably, confidently and successfully in the environment in which they live. We provide an environment that is supportive of the individual’s abilities and at the same time create the opportunity to develop compensatory skills required to optimise individual development and learning styles. In addition, we promote and encourage community participation and inclusion, and encourage learning through various modalities and individual interests.

Our key programme aims are:

To assist in the development of life skills, social communication and social interaction skills and how to carry these skills over to everyday life

To develop a positive sense of self worth and self esteem, minimise anxiety and develop coping strategies to manage everyday life

To improve listening skills, receptive and expressive language skills, and pragmatic language skills

To participate and enjoy being in a community group.

Further to that, we aim for participants to:

Understand feelings of self and others and name them

Recognise their anxieties, the triggers and name them

Improve self control

Enhance self-esteem

Develop social communication skills and friendships

Feel a sense of pride in themselves

Have fun with others

Our programmes are unique in that they do not use a single theoretical basis, but implement a combination of disciplines (such as educational, developmental and behavioural constructs) to target the core deficits of ASD. In conjunction with parents, we:

Assess and develop individual plans and goals for educational and behavioural change based on the individual needs

Apply teaching and behaviour management procedures of proven effectiveness

Evaluate the effectiveness of the procedures applied

Assist parents to maximise the effectiveness of the resources and knowledge gained from working with our multidisciplinary team

Promote the generalisation and maintenance of educational and therapeutic effectiveness

Distribute information and program finding to the broader autism community and beyond

We recognise that while the core characteristics of autism spectrum disorders are consistent, no one child with autism will have the same pattern of strengths and needs as another. Therefore, there is no one particular intervention or set of techniques that would meet the needs of all families. However, from our experience, we are aware of the pressures and problems families face and in partnership with families, endeavour to work constructively towards identified and agreed goals.

Our consultants pride themselves in their work and in their professional relationships we achieve with the families we provide services to.

Group programmes are held at Stevenson House, 10 Stevenson Crescent, Caroline Springs (Melway Ref: 358 G1) and is easily accessed by the Western Ring Road, Ballarat Highway, and Melton Highway. Travel time is approximately 30 minutes from Greensborough and 20 minuets from the West Gate Bridge.

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WHAT PARENTS THINK OF OUR GROUP PROGRAMMES:

The following feedback was received during Term 3, 2007. 7 out of 9 feedback forms were received. Parents were asked to rate 1-5, with 5 being the highest possible score.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

What level of enjoyment did your child get from attending The Creative STEPS Club?
4=Very Enjoyable 57.14%
5=High Level of Enjoyment 42.85%

COMMENTS:

"My child enjoyed the creative, cooking and the games played by the group."

"She has mentioned Art and Relaxation, so they must be her favourite."

"Very satisfied and thankful at the willingness to adapt the cooking to food allergies."

"My son had a great time and didn’t mention anything he did not like."

"Toys and activities seemed great. My child would always make comments about what he did."

"Enjoyed all areas and was eager to go each week once she settled in."

"My son seems very happy with what activities were on offer. He loved the cooking and games best."

WERE YOU ABLE TO SEE ANY CHANGES IN YOUR CHILD’S BEHAVIOURS AND DEVELOPMENT DURING THE COURSE OF THE PROGRAM?

COMMENTS:

"My son has built/increased his self-confidence in interacting with other kids."

"Massive… have no doubt it has combined to make the massive difference in a short time."

"Seemed to understand personal space a little better. Did seem a little calmer."

"Yes, would talk about what he did more frequently than at kinder."

"My daughter started to speak to people without always being prompted when people spoke to her."

"Yes, he seems more thoughtful and introspective now. I think he has benefited from being in a group of “like minded” children. The messages he is getting from the sessions really are staying with him. He never complains about any of the content at all. He seems much calmer and cooperative too. He is also asking more questions and asking for clarification too."

ABOUT THE FACILITATORS:

How satisfied were you with the facilitators?
3=Satisfied                      14.28%
4=Very Satisfied             42.85%
5=Most Satisfied             42.85%

COMMENTS:

"The facilitators are all professionals and very approachable on the questions we have."

"All you girls are great and approachable."

"Very satisfied with the level of support, experience, knowledge, professionalism and approachability… very keen to listen, very approachable, good advice."

"I found the facilitators very helpful and approachable. I was always informed if they thought I needed to know something."

"Seem very knowledgeable and professional."

"Staff very approachable and was able to offer advice."

"We have been very impressed by your knowledge and approachability."

VALUE FOR MONEY:

How satisfied are you that the program offered value for money?
4=Very Satisfied 42.85%
5=Most Satisfied 57.14%

COMMENTS:

"Thought presentation, staff levels, programme variety etc to be great. Believe it could only be a benefit to any child."

"I was very happy."

OTHER COMMENTS:

"Congratulations girls, think you are doing wonderful job."

"The newsletters are very informative and useful to the child’s needs."

"The newsletter was fantastic, love the info on autism etc., love what the kids are doing next week."

"The format and layout of the newsletter is very effective and easy to read."

"The Communication Book is a real “lifeline” between the parent and yourselves. I feel that you all take care to respond appropriately and the personal weekly contact is excellent."

Also, from our standardised rating scale we have received 7 out of 9 responses and 6 out of 7 have shown significant improvements in Social Skills when pre-group and post-group data were compared. One remained static.

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		GROUP FOCUS Our purpose is to provide access to innovative and effective programmes that will assist those at risk; so that they may socially and emotionally understand and function comfortably, confidently and successfully in the environment in which they live. We provide an environment that is supportive of the individual’s abilities and at the same time create the opportunity to develop compensatory skills required to optimise individual development and learning styles. In addition, we promote and encourage community participation and inclusion, and encourage learning through various modalities and individual interests. Our key programme aims are: To assist in the development of life skills, social communication and social interaction skills and how to carry these skills over to everyday life To develop a positive sense of self worth and self esteem, minimise anxiety and develop coping strategies to manage everyday life To improve listening skills, receptive and expressive language skills, and pragmatic language skills To participate and enjoy being in a community group. Further to that, we aim for participants to: Understand feelings of self and others and name them Recognise their anxieties, the triggers and name them Improve self control Enhance self-esteem Develop social communication skills and friendships Feel a sense of pride in themselves Have fun with others Our programmes are unique in that they do not use a single theoretical basis, but implement a combination of disciplines (such as educational, developmental and behavioural constructs) to target the core deficits of ASD. In conjunction with parents, we: Assess and develop individual plans and goals for educational and behavioural change based on the individual needs Apply teaching and behaviour management procedures of proven effectiveness Evaluate the effectiveness of the procedures applied Assist parents to maximise the effectiveness of the resources and knowledge gained from working with our multidisciplinary team Promote the generalisation and maintenance of educational and therapeutic effectiveness Distribute information and program finding to the broader autism community and beyond We recognise that while the core characteristics of autism spectrum disorders are consistent, no one child with autism will have the same pattern of strengths and needs as another. Therefore, there is no one particular intervention or set of techniques that would meet the needs of all families. However, from our experience, we are aware of the pressures and problems families face and in partnership with families, endeavour to work constructively towards identified and agreed goals. Our consultants pride themselves in their work and in their professional relationships we achieve with the families we provide services to. Group programmes are held at Stevenson House, 10 Stevenson Crescent, Caroline Springs (Melway Ref: 358 G1) and is easily accessed by the Western Ring Road, Ballarat Highway, and Melton Highway. Travel time is approximately 30 minutes from Greensborough and 20 minuets from the West Gate Bridge. Top of Page WHAT PARENTS THINK OF OUR GROUP PROGRAMMES: The following feedback was received during Term 3, 2007. 7 out of 9 feedback forms were received. Parents were asked to rate 1-5, with 5 being the highest possible score. ABOUT THE PROGRAM: What level of enjoyment did your child get from attending The Creative STEPS Club? 4=Very Enjoyable 57.14% 5=High Level of Enjoyment 42.85% COMMENTS: "My child enjoyed the creative, cooking and the games played by the group." "She has mentioned Art and Relaxation, so they must be her favourite." "Very satisfied and thankful at the willingness to adapt the cooking to food allergies." "My son had a great time and didn’t mention anything he did not like." "Toys and activities seemed great. My child would always make comments about what he did." "Enjoyed all areas and was eager to go each week once she settled in." "My son seems very happy with what activities were on offer. He loved the cooking and games best." WERE YOU ABLE TO SEE ANY CHANGES IN YOUR CHILD’S BEHAVIOURS AND DEVELOPMENT DURING THE COURSE OF THE PROGRAM? COMMENTS: "My son has built/increased his self-confidence in interacting with other kids." "Massive… have no doubt it has combined to make the massive difference in a short time." "Seemed to understand personal space a little better. Did seem a little calmer." "Yes, would talk about what he did more frequently than at kinder." "My daughter started to speak to people without always being prompted when people spoke to her." "Yes, he seems more thoughtful and introspective now. I think he has benefited from being in a group of “like minded” children. The messages he is getting from the sessions really are staying with him. He never complains about any of the content at all. He seems much calmer and cooperative too. He is also asking more questions and asking for clarification too." ABOUT THE FACILITATORS: How satisfied were you with the facilitators? 3=Satisfied 14.28% 4=Very Satisfied 42.85% 5=Most Satisfied 42.85% COMMENTS: "The facilitators are all professionals and very approachable on the questions we have." "All you girls are great and approachable." "Very satisfied with the level of support, experience, knowledge, professionalism and approachability… very keen to listen, very approachable, good advice." "I found the facilitators very helpful and approachable. I was always informed if they thought I needed to know something." "Seem very knowledgeable and professional." "Staff very approachable and was able to offer advice." "We have been very impressed by your knowledge and approachability." VALUE FOR MONEY: How satisfied are you that the program offered value for money? 4=Very Satisfied 42.85% 5=Most Satisfied 57.14% COMMENTS: "Thought presentation, staff levels, programme variety etc to be great. Believe it could only be a benefit to any child." "I was very happy." OTHER COMMENTS: "Congratulations girls, think you are doing wonderful job." "The newsletters are very informative and useful to the child’s needs." "The newsletter was fantastic, love the info on autism etc., love what the kids are doing next week." "The format and layout of the newsletter is very effective and easy to read." "The Communication Book is a real “lifeline” between the parent and yourselves. I feel that you all take care to respond appropriately and the personal weekly contact is excellent." Also, from our standardised rating scale we have received 7 out of 9 responses and 6 out of 7 have shown significant improvements in Social Skills when pre-group and post-group data were compared. One remained static. Top of Page

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