Ashton’s Place is so pleased to announce our partnership with the Department of Neuroscience at the University of New England. Our aim is to offer a model of early intervention that meets the needs of the child and their family. Our ACE (Autism Connect Early) Programme will provide much-needed early intervention utilising evidence-based early intervention models and will allow research to be conducted on an ongoing basis to evaluate and develop a programme that is relevant and one that will support children and their families into the future.

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The ACE (Autism Connect Early) Programme has been designed according to best-practice guidelines to assist children with autism in integrating successfully into long-day care with their typically-developing peers. The focus is on applying specialised strategies to build skills in effective communication, interaction and play with peers, self-directed learning, and personal resilience.

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Our educators are dedicated to creating a learning environment in which children with autism feel safe, confident, and valued. Whilst the focus is on supporting children to engage in learning to create short- and long-term benefits, our educators uphold the ethos of learning via relationship building. Therefore, all learning opportunities are embedded in empathic interactions aimed at understanding the child’s experiences.

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The ACE Programme is embedded in a research framework that provides us with the opportunity to continuously evaluate and refine all learning experiences to ensure that they are tailored to the particular needs of each child. The Programme content and delivery is closely monitored by Professors in Biomedical Science at the Brain Behaviour Research Group to ensure that a high level of integrity is maintained and children receive access to the most recent advances in autism education.

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A number of childcare centres currently implement the ACE Programme. For more information, or to enrol your child, contact the Centre Directors by clicking on the links below:

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• Imagine Childcare Nerang

• Imagine Childcare West End

• Imagine Childcare Holmview

• Imagine Childcare Tarneit