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Mainstream Services

An important element of our integrated approach is ensuring the time your child spends at their mainstream childcare or preschool is successful. This often comes down to the skills and understanding the educators have of your child’s disability, symptoms or behaviours.

ESDM in Mainstream

  • To help educators support your child for the many hours they are at childcare or preschool each week our therapist will visit the centre once a week and work with your child and their educators. They will develop strategies that address the challenges that present in that environment. This may be socialisation, transitioning, understanding their communication or including them in the set program.
  • This program is very different to Inclusion Support, as provided by the Department of Education. While Inclusion Support provides another educator into the ratio, they are not likely to have specialised skills and are not specifically allocated to support your child.

    Our ESDM in Mainstream program offers specialist training and coaching for the educators that is specific to your child’s needs.
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Objectives of the ESDM
in Mainstream

Your child will be supported to be included effectively into their mainstream environment through their individualised goals, guided practice and collaboration with their mainstream staff.

The following overarching mainstream support learning outcomes will be targeted:

  • Settling into an educational environment and following daily routines
  • Independently transitioning between routines, activities and tasks
  • Participating in learning activities within small and large group play experiences
  • Playing alongside their peers and educators
  • Using play materials appropriately and increase their repertoire of functional play
  • Participating in personal independence tasks
  • Develops new and appropriate skills to communicate with peers and adults

How the program
is delivered

The mainstream support program is a 10-11 week program offered in line with school terms, which includes the following:

Development of an individual program

Your therapist will collaborate with your child’s key educators to understand the areas of challenge and concern. Goals will be agreed to address these.

Weekly visits to your child’s mainstream centre

Each week your Therapist will visit your child’s centre for a 1 hour visit. During this time they will work with your child, modelling and providing guided practice to the mainstream educators to support and build skills, enhancing your child’s inclusion within their programs.

Weekly written reports

Following each visit, your Therapist will document your child’s progress against their program and goals and provide this valuable information to the family and Centre.