“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.”
–A.A. Milne

Programs for Kids

SP Specialist Inclusion Services is pleased to be able to offer a range of new and exciting skill-building programs. Our programs have been designed and developed as a result of the suggestions and recommendations identified through our biannual parent and community surveys.

We periodically facilitate a range of programs and activities selected through collaboration and input from families. All programs are designed using the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and their elements are intentionally planned. Our main objective for the programs is to complement our existing range of support services already being delivered, including building the skills and capacity of our children, families and wider community towards inclusion and integrating best practice into their programs.

Play on Words

A fun, peer supported play based social language group for children aged 5-12 years

Play On Words provides:

  • An opportunity for your child to develop their social language to enter and sustain play.
  • A program that is facilitated by adults, with peer mentors to guide learning experiences and interaction.
  • Learning experiences that are aligned to your child’s interests.
  • A combination of parent and child sessions designed to inform parents about the programs, guide the team with goal setting for your child and to stay informed of your child’s progress.

Our model

Both our Creative Games and Gross Motor programs aim to provide children the opportunity to develop age-appropriate social skills through role modeling, that they can bring to their natural environments.

Points of difference

  • Peer mentors to facilitate, role model and provide authentic opportunity to develop core skills.
  • Peer feedback will be provided with families to give a child’s perspective to help develop age-appropriate skills.
  • Practical, engaging and fun; no worksheets and abstract, isolated conversations.
  • Aligned to your child’s interest; you chose which program you would like your child to attend.
  • Accessible; lots of visuals, fun, enthusiasm and technology integration where appropriate.

What does it look like?

Parent Pre Session

  • Meet the team
  • Learn about our model, our purpose and intentions
  • Expectations
  • Set child’s goals
  • Complete Child Profile

Child Session Schedule

  • Child check in
  • Ice breaker Game & Introductions
  • Visual Schedule
  • Activity
  • Morning tea
  • Activity
  • Show and Tell session

Parent Post Session

  • Overview and Evaluation
  • Parent & Team chats
  • Child’s progress profile
  • What did we learn
  • Where to next
A Wheelie Good Time

A series of 'hands-on' bicycle skill-building and safety sessions for children aged 8-14 years

‘A Wheelie Good Time’ is our new hands-on learn to ride cycling program. The program will include 3 Modules – bike safety and learn to ride, road safety and cycling proficiency. We have designed the program to build your child’s confidence, skill and knowledge base relating to bike riding and remaining safe whilst riding around home and in the community. Our program provides  the opportunity and environment to learn functional and age appropriate skills.Please note, participation does require your child to bring their own Bike.

Our group will have 6-8 spaces for children to participate. The sessions will take place at  Lake Ginninderra Learn to Ride Centre, Belconnen.

Each session will have an explicit focus, including Learn to ride, Cycling proficiency and Road safety introduction.  The sessions will be lead by Ken, who has a strong cycling background, with support from Mel and Sam. We will design our program using the principles of UDL (Universal Design for Learning) and systematic instruction to maximize our participants’ engagement and feelings of success and achievement.

Learning to Ride

  • Fitting your helmet
  • Adjusting your seat
  • Balancing
  • Starting to ride
  • Pedaling
  • Steering
  • Stopping

Road Safety

  • Bike path rules
  • Road signs
  • Signaling
  • Road user etiquette

Cycling Proficiency

  • Corners and curves
  • Riding on hills
  • Shifting gears
  • Braking
  • Locking your bike

Ken developed a love and enjoyment of cycling from an early age, developing into a semi-professional cycling career in North America and Europe. Ken continued his racing as a veteran cyclist in Australia, competing in road, track, mountain biking and cyclocross events. In the past, Ken has completed a Level 1 coaching certification and the Ozcycle Cycling Instructor Program, for children.

Pups 'n' Pals

Animal-assisted therapy to build communication and social skills

Animal assisted therapy can:

  • Teach empathy and interpersonal skills.
  • Support expressive communication, including assertive volume and tone.
  • Develop leadership and problem solving skills.
  • Help develop social skills, including greetings, turn taking, reciprocal interaction, verbal and non verbal interactions.
  • Assist with emotional regulation, including redirected focus, sustained attention, assisted soothing, persistence and interactive movement opportunities.
Individual 1 to 1 Sessions:

Individual Sessions can be customised to reflect your child’s interests, skills and experience with animals. Sessions can take place in your own home, or within the community.

Sessions can cover:

  • Coaching to learn how to interact safely with pets and build child’s confidence around animals.
  • Communication skills through using greetings and learning how to sustain interactions.
  • Assertive communication and leadership to complete grooming, hygiene tasks and other care tasks to promote responsible pet ownership.
  • Games, Play and Tricks to learn, identify and respond to nonverbal communication.
  • Community Participation, dog walking including meeting other animals, road safety and awareness.

1 to 1 Sessions are $190 per hour.

Small Group Sessions (during school holidays):

Small Group Sessions will have 4 spaces for children and teenagers to participate. The sessions will take place at Belconnen Dog Park.

Sessions can cover:

  • Greetings and Sustained Interactions, via animal assisted therapy, to create a common interest and focus point.
  • Problem solving and turn taking to complete grooming and hygiene tasks.
  • Working collaboratively to create, teach games, play and tricks.
  • Incentive and reward based interactions to learn, identify and respond to non verbal communication.
  • Flexible thinking to address contextual community participation scenarios.

Small group sessions will run for 1.5 hours and cost $200 per participant.

The sessions will be led by one of our team, and we will guide your child to feel more confident and comfortable with their communication, social interactions and leadership skills.

Let us know if you are interested by completing the Expression Of Interest Form and we will be in contact to advise of availability and details of our next session.

Expression of Interest Form

Name(Required)
Which sessions are you interested in?