Early-Years Autism Programme: A game changer for autistic children and whānau wellbeing
by Jo Cheetham
Children who learn differently need different types of teaching. Ideally, this teaching should prioritise fun, focus on children’s strengths, centre around their preferred interests, and cater to individual support needs. For neurodivergent children, adopting this approach to teaching new skills is essential for enhancing learning, social, and behavioural outcomes. Unfortunately, a one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t work for children who learn differently.
Autistic children can learn and develop communication skills, but many will require early intervention to do so. The initial five years of life represent a critical window for learning, during which progress can occur swiftly and profoundly. Research shows that allocating resources towards intensive early intervention leads to better long-term outcomes, in terms of both quality of life and cost.
At Acorn, we believe that the early years are a critical foundation for lifelong learning and success. Our Early-Years Autism Programme embodies the teaching approach we’ve just discussed: it is neurodiverse-affirming, child-led, and tons of fun! Supporting child development across all developmental domains, our programme can support language and communication skills, cognitive skills, social relationships, emotional regulation, independence with self-help skills and self-advocacy, community and safety skills, as well as early academics and school readiness. Additionally, we provide support for any behavioural challenges that may arise during this journey. Ensuring a comprehensive yet compassionate approach to nurturing every aspect of a child's growth and development, our programme is tailored to meet the diverse needs of all children.
We work with lots of children at Acorn, many of whom began therapy at age three with no means of communication. With consistent therapy that chunks learning into achievable developmental steps, these children have been able to attend school and thrive. One such example of our impact is a family story which will be shared below, whose young child has been coming to Acorn’s Early-Years Programme for the past 2.5 years. Mike, the young boy’s father, shares:
“The public system had a 6-month waiting list just to assess him and nothing otherwise to support him. We understood that if we acted quickly while his brain was still developing we had the best chance of helping him learn to communicate his wants and needs and relate to others. This alone would make a tremendous difference to his future quality of life. When Acorn came to assess him, they arranged for a therapy programme to begin when he was 20 months old.”
“Our boy has gone from making four sounds to asking us questions and playing with others at daycare. . . . He also learned to read along the way! On the way, we have tried speech therapy and online methods of helping him. However, the developmental play therapy methods used by Acorn have consistently worked and shown improvements. The autism programme delivered by a therapist team, with psychologist oversight of the learning progress, is clearly an effective method of achieving results.”
Mike’s family story is just one of many that we see at Acorn. Alongside children’s skills development as a result of our Early-Years Autism Programme, we often see families, like Mike’s, experience immense joy and excitement from seeing their children learn fundamental skills to reach their fullest potential. Parents and families, as well as carers and teachers alike, are often delighted to see the close bonds shared between the child and their therapist(s). This is because the learning and acquisition of skills are primarily based on the strong rapport built between the child and therapist. Therapists dedicate themselves to understanding the child, their interests, and play preferences, and have fun sessions tailored to the child’s own definition of enjoyment, all the while with learning taking place. Given the child-led nature of therapy at Acorn, especially in our Early-Years Autism Programme, it is not difficult to see why many children who come here consider Acorn to be their safe space.
As an Acorn therapist, the most fulfilling aspect of my role is watching the children I work with learn some very important skills and grow into the amazing people that they are. It is also particularly rewarding to have developed many strong relationships over the years with the parents and families I work with as I support their children through their journeys. It brings me so much joy when a child I work with masters a skill we’ve been working on! Much like you, we are committed to ensuring that your child’s early years are centred on skill development – in a fun way! – to set them up for future success.