Q & A's
What services does Bright Start provide?
We provide specialist behaviour support and psychology services. Our behaviour specialists support children one on one and in groups as well as providing support to parents, teachers, and other allied health professionals regarding a child’s barrier behaviours. This typically includes the development of comprehensive behaviour support plans based on a thorough assessment of why the behaviour is occurring, and often involves ongoing therapy and support. We actively reject Applied Behaviour Analysis in all of it's forms and our assessments and interventions are based on identifying unmet needs, as opposed to focusing on the behaviour itself. Our psychologists assess and diagnose children using the DSM-V and provide relevant treatment based on the needs of the individual.
If you don't use ABA, what do you use?
We reject ABA because the research and the feedback from the disabled community clearly assert that ABA is harmful. Instead, we use affirming techniques from a variety of models, including Ross Greene's Collaborative and Proactive Solutions, CBT, ACT, DBT, person-centred practice, and strengths-based practice. We are also passionate about using creative, highly personalised techniques based on the individual needs of the person. We only work in ways that the child and their family are comfortable with, and work with them to embrace their authentic selves and feel safe doing so.
What kinds of behaviours can behaviour support help with?
We specialise in ‘challenging’ behaviours and behaviour that is otherwise concerning for the health, safety, or development of a child. This can look different for every child and family, but might include actions like a child hurting themselves or other people, acting in a verbally aggressive manner, running away, having trouble focusing or completing long or tricky tasks without help, being unable to understand danger, having difficulty following routines and complying with instructions, or refusing to go to school. The chances are, if your child’s behaviour is hard to manage or you can’t understand why your child is behaving in a particular way, behaviour support can help to guide you and your child in how to prevent and manage the behaviours.
How will you assess my child?
When assessing behaviour, we work with children and their families to identify what is going on for them and what they are concerned about. Usually the clients we see need help meeting their needs in a way that doesn't harm themselves or the people around them. We look beyond the behaviour to find out what the person needs to feel safe and supported, and then work out how those needs can be met. We ask lots of questions about the person, especially around what they like and dislike, how they experience the world, what they would like to achieve, how they would like to be supported, and what is worrying them. We also look at how we can reduce a person's distress so they can enjoy life and get what they want out of life.
When conducting psychological assessments, we use lots of standardised tools to understand how a person's brain is working. These tools may include observational assessment, ADOS, ADIR, WISC, WPPSI, Conners, BRIEF, DIVA, ABAS, and Weschler Non-Verbal (WNV).
Do I have to pay out of pocket?
We do accept clients paying out of pocket. However, we are registered with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) for the Improved Daily Living and Improved Relationships categories. This means all of our services, whether provided in a group or individually, can be claimed using your child’s NDIS plan if they have one. We accept NDIS clients aged from 18 months to 18 years from all backgrounds and abilities, and can claim from self-managed, plan-managed and agency-managed plans.