EIBI Full Service Model

Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) is a scientific approach to understanding behaviour. ABA based programs are used across a wide range of different settings including education and classroom management, sports and fitness, workplace performance, mood and sleep disorders. Scientific research has shown that interventions based on the science of ABA are one way that autistic individuals can be supported to learn and develop skills that are beneficial to them.

ABA-based approaches aim to understand behaviours by increasing those that promote learning, independence, and well-being, while decreasing behaviours that may be socially isolating, physically harmful, or obstructive to learning. The primary goal of an ABA intervention program is to help individuals develop and enhance their skills, maximizing their learning and growth to reach their full potential and lead a fulfilling life.

ABA based early intervention focuses on breaking down complex skills into smaller, more achievable steps, which are then taught in a way that matches the child’s learning style.  This approach involves consistent positive interactions at every stage of the child's learning journey to motivate them to engage with learning. Children are never punished for being unable to master a skill or task and are instead provided with more support and guidance to help them to be successful. Goals and strategies are reviewed and adjusted based on regular observations, consultation with the family and data collected during therapy sessions.

An early intervention therapy session typically involves a combination of structured learning and play to work on specific skill targets for the child. Throughout the session, data is collected to track progress toward these individualized goals.

Examples of skill areas that might be addressed include:

• Self-care skills such as getting dressed, toileting, and self-feeding.
• Play skills, including turn-taking and initiating or joining play with peers.
• Learning skills, such as sustaining attention, following instructions, and waiting.
• Communication e.g. targeted learning and opportunities to practice during natural interactions.

Play is integrated into the session to make learning fun, and positive social interactions are facilitated throughout. Strategies are used to keep the child engaged, helping them navigate challenges and promoting success in tasks.

Every program at Learning for Life is tailored specifically to the child, considering the child’s (and their family’s) preferences, strengths, interests, needs and challenges. Our practice reflects our core belief that the children we work with have the right to the same choices, opportunities and experiences of all children and that their rights and choices are of utmost importance. We promote children’s inclusion through participation in daily routines and activities, at home, in early childhood education settings (i.e. kinder, childcare) and in the community. We also recognise the importance of supporting families and seek to ensure they have the information, resources and support they need, including providing parent training.

Therapy sessions are conducted in the child’s home and community settings. In addition to enabling involvement in daily routines and tasks, therapy delivered in the child's usual environments allows for skills learnt to be more easily applied across different settings, people, and activities leading to continued learning and benefits beyond the intervention program.

We prioritise the child’s wellbeing during their experience with Learning for Life and believe that all children can learn with the right environment and teaching strategies. Programs are centred around making learning a positive experience, and with fun as an essential ingredient for skill development.  In addition, resilience is developed in a safe and nurturing way to empower the child and provide a pathway to independence and choice. When seeking to address any behaviours of concern we look to understand the underlying cause first, and then develop a plan which  focuses on proactive skill development and learning alternative behaviours to meet the child’s needs. This includes respecting their right or need to engage in actions or behaviours that may be considered different or atypical by others.

Early Childhood Clinical Consultants are responsible for designing and overseeing each child’s EIBI program. This involves setting individualized goals and developing tailored teaching and behavioural strategies. They work closely with the child’s parents and broader support network, including educators and allied health professionals, to ensure a cohesive approach.

In addition, Clinical Consultants manage and supervise the Therapy Assistant team, providing regular observations, training, and support to ensure effective implementation of the program including teaching skills and implementing behavioural support strategies.

Clinical Consultants meet frequently with parents to discuss the child’s progress, set and review goals, and address any challenges or strategies. They serve as the primary contact for updates or concerns, offering flexible consultation and support that is customized to fit the needs of the family.

Our Early Childhood Clinical Consultants also work proactively with a child’s broader support network, whether that be the child’s kindergarten teacher, paediatrician other allied health professional.

Each of our Early Childhood Clinical Consultants have relevant undergraduate and/or masters degrees, at least three years ABA experience working with young children with Autism and are registered with the Association for Behaviour Analysis Australia (the peak regulatory body for behaviour analysts in Australia). Some of our Early Childhood Clinical Consultants are also Board Certificated Behavioural Analysis or registered psychologists. All of our Clinical Consultants meet the NDIS Quality and Safety Commission’s requirements for an Early Childhood Professional and deliver support in line with the NDIS Practice Standards and Qaulity Indicators for Early Childhood Supports.

Each Early Childhood Clinical Consultant is supported by our Clinical Director and undergoes continual professional development and internal training and supervision.

Bios for each of our Clinical Consultants are available on the Our Team page.

Therapy Assistants work under the direction of the Early Childhood Clinical Consultants, carrying out ABA based strategies and therapy techniques, to implement a child’s EIBI program. Therapy Assistants work one-to-one with the child, other than where a second Therapy Assistant also attends a session for training purposes. Clients are not charged for the attendance of a second Learning for Life Therapy Assistant as this is an internal training cost absorbed by Learning for Life.

Each Therapy Assistant undergoes the Learning for Life certified training program, involving a combination of practical (on the job) training and theory. The practical training happens during the child’s therapy sessions and involves an experienced therapy assistant training the new therapy assistant while delivering the therapy session. This training program is overseen by senior Clinical Consultants. Therapy Assistant training is ongoing, and proactively supported by senior Clinical Consultants, even once a Therapy Assistant has met the criteria required to conduct therapy sessions without another staff member present. Many of our Therapy Assistants are also studying related courses (such as psychology, speech pathology or occupational therapy) while working as a Therapy Assistant.

Each EIBI Full Service Model client is allocated a therapy team comprising a mix of Therapy Assistants with differing levels of experience.

Frequency of therapy is determined on a case by case basis and very much depends on the individual child’s needs and goals. Learning for Life strongly recommends that the family works with the Clinical Consultant to deliver as close to the clinically recommended hours of intervention therapy deemed appropriate to their child in order to provide the child with the opportunity to gain the maximum benefits the ABA therapy has to offer, However, many factors will impact whether this is practical or appropriate for the child.    

When a child first commences the EIBI program the frequency of sessions will be lower and gradually increase over time. Likewise, as a child is completing the program, the frequency of sessions will gradually decrease to allow for a smooth transition.

It is important that families make themselves aware of other relevant supports and therapies available for children with Autism when considering whether to enrol in the EIBI program. Paediatricians should also be able to advise you about other therapies and the Autism section of the Raising Children Parenting Website is a great source of information.

Learning for Life believes in a holistic approach to support provision and respects parent choice as to what supports are right for their child. In some cases, Clinical Consultants may recommend other therapies be run in conjunction with therapy such as Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy and opportunities for supported socialisation (such as playgroup or kindergarten). Unless otherwise recommended by your Clinical Consultant, we would expect such therapies and programs to be an addition to and compliment the therapy hours conducted with Learning for Life.

If a client is considering biomedical treatments for your child we ask that they consult with their Clinical Consultant first as such treatment can impact the progress and validity of our program.

Clinical Consultants monitor the child's progress through 1 hour of supervision for every 6 hours of scheduled therapy (capped at a maximum of 3 hours per week). The format of supervision varies to best meet the needs of the individual child, family circumstances, locations of therapy delivery and number of Therapy Assistants on the client’s team.

Supervision may include:

• direct supervision of Therapy Assistants through observation of therapy sessions at home or in the community (either in person or via video conferencing);
• parent training (either in person or via video conferencing);
• meeting with the child's early childhood educators and other allied health professionals;
• delivery of therapy sessions to aid with setting up learning curriculum;
• observations of the child conducted at kindergarten, childcare or school to assist with goal setting
• analysis of data collected by Therapy Assistants; and
• ongoing review and development of the learning curriculum are based on a combination of observations, parent feedback, and session data.

The specific supervision plan for each child is adjusted to meet the direct needs of the child. The supervision plan is set up at the start of the child’s program and then reviewed at least each term.

Learning for Life offers a home and community-based service, whereby therapy sessions may be carried out in the child’s home, kinder, childcare or even grandparent’s house. While we do not offer centre-based service as a standard practice, we can accommodate some sessions in our centre located in Kew.  

Therapy sessions run Monday through to Saturday. Therapy sessions are usually 3 hours in length and may be scheduled as afternoon or morning sessions (or both) between the hours of 8am and 5pm. Although timetabling may vary from child to child (including accommodating children who still have day time naps), there is limited flexibility in when each child’s hours are delivered due to staff commitments at other client sessions and meetings.

Therapy sessions are usually 3 hours long. The Therapy Assistant uses the first and last 15 minutes of the session for administration tasks including setting up/packing up toys and activities, reviewing notes, and recording data. During the session, the Therapy Assistant teaches specific skills according to a plan from the supervising Clinical Consultant, which is based on goals initially set with the child’s parents or guardians. When teaching, skills are broken down into simple step-by-step instructions and taught at a pace suited to the child, through play, positive interactions, and celebration of achievements, no matter how small. Although 3 hours may seem long for a young child, this time is spent playing with the full attention of an adult. This includes games, activities, and toys that interest the child, with regular breaks as needed.

The Clinical Consultant may organise for some therapy sessions to include community outings such as a walk, visit to a playground, or trip to a local shop, to practice skills in the community. The decision to include outings in the program is guided by the child’s specific program and goals, in line with a risk management plan and requires parental consent.

Clinical Consultants will also attend sessions regularly to provide in-person supervision of the program. Their visits will be tailored to the needs of the individual program and may include observing a scheduled therapy session at home or at a childcare setting, participating in a community outing, or meeting with the parents, either in person or via video call.

We provide service throughout inner and greater Melbourne. Some areas are more difficult to staff with Therapy Assistantsd which at times may impact ability for us to take on new families in certain locations.

While we can run some sessions from our centre, we are not a centre-based service and do not offer full programs in the centre on a permanent basis.

Our office is located at 25-27 High Street South, Kew, Victoria 3101, between Kew Junction and Barkers Rd. There is on and off-street parking available and the number 48 and number 109 trams run directly past the centre.

Enrolment in Learning for Life’s EIBI services is open to children who:

1. have a diagnosis (or provisional diagnosis) of Autism Spectrum Disorder;
2. are under the age of 6; and
3. have not yet commenced primary school (whether in mainstream primary school or a specialist primary school).

Parents/guardians of eligible children may submit an Expression of Interest Form to register interest in our service, but access and enrolment will depend on our capacity at the time. If a child turns 6 or commences primary school before accessing service they will be removed from the Expression of Interest Register as they will no longer meet criteria for access.

Once enrolled, a child may continue in our Early Intervention program until the age 9 years old, however once the child commences primary school the program will involve the transition to our Early Intervention Consultancy Model.

We keep a register of families who enquire about service and have submitted an Expression of Interest form. When we have availability to take on a new family, an assessment is made against the Expression of Interest Register, considering our principles of priority of access i.e. client’s and families with the high needs or complex circumstances.

As this is determined on a combination of factors it is difficult to provide an specific indication of wait times. For this reason, we recommend that families continue to investigate other services even after submitting an Expression of Interest form.

You can ask for an Expression of Interest form by calling us on (03) 9853 4607 or completing our online Enquiry Form.

Specific pre-program tests are required before a child can commence our Full Service EIBI program. These tests may include the Childhood Rating Scale (CARS), the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scale (1984) (VABS), the Bayley Scales of Infant Development – II (1993) (BSID-II) and the Reynell Developmental Language Scale (1990) (RDLS).

During (but no more than annually) and shortly prior to completion of the program tests such as the following may also be administered on a child: Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence (1992), VABS, BDID-II and RDLS.

These tests assist in determining appropriate program design and ensure the therapy being conducted is of benefit to the child.

Although Learning for Life does not conduct these assessments for EIBI clients, where families undertake the assessments with Learning for Life’s assessment organisation of choice (and within the timeframes required by the program) Learning for Life will cover the cost of the assessments.  If a family prefers to access an alternative assessment organisation the assessments will be at the family’s own cost.

While EI Consultancy clients may choose to undertake assessments to support program design and formally measure development gains, Learning for Life does cover the cost of assessments in the consultancy program. 

For children who have commenced primary school and transitioned out of Learning for Life Therapy Assistant run sessions but continue service with their Clinical Consultant, Clinical Consultant time will be charged at $193.99 thereafter (whether it be for consultation, conducing observations, reporting writing etc).

Fees are invoiced fortnightly via email and payment is required within 7 days of the date of invoice.

We do not charge for travel time for our EIBI FSM program for locations within 50kms from the Centre. Travel beyond 50km is charged at $193.99 per hour for Clinical Consultants and $86.79 per hour for Therapy Assistants.

Travel time is charged for Early Intervention Consultancy service consultation delivered away from the centre in Kew (at $193.99 per hour).

Yes - If your child has plan with funding available under the Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living category whereby the nature of supports within this category are either not specified or refer to any of:

• early intervention therapy;
• Applied behavioural Analysis or ABA;
• other therapy (or therapy generally); or
• supports provided by an allied health assistant or therapy assistant.

Learning for Life is an NDIS registered service provider. We are therefore able to support participants whether on an agency-managed, plan-managed or self-managed plan.

Yes – although NDIS funding can be used to cover the cost of our EIBI programs, NDIS funding it not a prerequisite to accessing service. Where funding allocated in a client’s NDIS plan is insufficient to meet the clinically recommended hours of therapy, and the client is not in financial position to meet the shortfall, the client may be eligible for a fee subsidy under the Learning for Life Fair Access Subsidy Program.

Yes – as noted above, although NDIS funding can be used to cover the cost of our EIBI programs, NDIS funding it not a prerequisite to accessing our services. Clients are responsible for paying service fees directly regardless of how they fund it. Clients who are ineligible for NDIS funding (e.g. due to VISA status) or who are waiting on their first NDIS plan, and are not in a financial position to cover the full cost of service, may be eligible to apply for fee support via the Fair Access Subsidy Program.

Learning for Life is a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to provide the highest standard of ABA-based services to help children with Autism and their families reach their full potential, regardless of their financial circumstances. To support this mission, Learning for Life actively fundraises towards a Fair Access Subsidy Program, to assist families in need with the cost of service. Families who do not have NDIS funding, or who have NDIS funding which is not sufficient to meet clinically recommended ABA therapy hours, may be eligible for fee subsidies if they are not in a financial position to cover the cost of service. Application for the Fair Access Subsidy Program is via application form and open to clients of Learning for Life (but submission of an application does not guarantee provision of fee subsidies).

Yes – Learning for Life is a child safe organisation and is committed to the protection and well-being of children and young people. Our Child Safe and Vulnerable Person Policy is available for viewing on our website.

Learning for Life has strict recruitment and screening practices, including the requirement for all staff to have valid and up to date Working with Children Checks and National Police Checks. All new staff also undertake child safety training as part of their onboarding process and sign specific acknowledgement of our Staff Code of Conduct (noting that our Code of Conduct Policy is also available for viewing on our website).

In addition, Learning for Life implements a Child Safe Risk Management Plan for each family enrolled in the full service EIBI program.

Our Practice Manager is the Learning for Life Child Safe Officer.

Our Client Confidentiality & Privacy Policy is available for viewing on our website. As outlined in our policy, we will only use the information provided to us by clients for the purpose it is collected and ensure our information storage systems are secured appropriately. In addition to the requirement for staff to follow privacy protocols in our policy, each staff member signs a Confidentiality Deed as part of their employment contract.

Our Allied Health Administrator is the Learning for Life Privacy Officer

Our Client Complaints & Feedback Policy is available for viewing on our website. Feedback or complaints can be made in a number of ways, including:

• anonymously via our online feedback form;
• via mail, email or verbally to our Practice Manager at PO Box 7118 Hawthorn North VIC 3122 or timetables@learningforlife.com.au or 0448 127 508
• via email or verbally to our CEO, Clinical Director or your allocated Clinical Consultant.

Please email enquiries@learningforlife.com.au if you have any remaining questions or would like a Learning for Life staff member to call you to discuss further.

You can also fill out our online Enquiry Form.