At Social Sense Allied Health, we offer more than therapy. We blend clinical assessment, social work, family support, and life skills to help children grow into happy, well-adjusted, independent people. We help you understand where your child is now, what helps them move forward, and how you as parents and carers can be part of that growth. We understand that every child’s development is shaped by their genetics, relationships, environment, and opportunities for growth. Our approach combines evidence-based knowledge with practical, family-centred support to help children thrive at every stage.

Early Years as Critical Windows

The earliest years of life are a decisive time for brain growth. From pregnancy through to early childhood, a child’s environment makes a lasting impact. Safe, nurturing relationships, good nutrition, playful learning, and responsive caregiving all help to lay strong foundations for lifelong wellbeing.

Relationships at the Heart

Children learn and grow best when they feel secure in their relationships. Positive connections with parents, carers, and trusted adults are more powerful than formal education alone in shaping social, emotional, and cognitive skills. Consistent, nurturing and responsive care builds confidence, trust, and resilience.

Understanding and Addressing Adversity

Challenges such as housing instability, poverty, family stress, or parental mental health issues can affect how children grow and develop. Without support, these stresses can make life harder in the long run. We work with families to identify risks early, reduce pressures, and strengthen protective factors so children have the chance to flourish.

Prevention and Early Intervention

It is always better to act early than to wait until difficulties become entrenched. Identifying concerns early, offering timely intervention, and supporting parents and carers to respond with confidence is not only more effective but also more compassionate and sustainable.

Equity and Inclusion

All children deserve the chance to thrive, no matter their background. We are committed to removing barriers for children from disadvantaged or marginalised communities. Our services are grounded in fairness and equity, making sure that no child is left behind.

Schools and Community Settings

Schools and early learning services are important spaces for spotting challenges and building wellbeing. We partner with educators and community providers to make sure children’s developmental, social, and emotional needs are recognised and supported in these everyday environments.

Development as a Lifelong Process

Development is cumulative. Early experiences and supports shape future health, education, and social participation. Positive interventions in childhood can create benefits that carry across the lifespan, while ignoring challenges early can lead to bigger problems later. We focus on building strong foundations now to ensure children have the best opportunities for the future.

What Doesn’t Work

Approaches that rely too heavily on labels or narrow measures of achievement miss the bigger picture. Child development is about more than test scores. Effective support must consider relationships, environments, and the child’s whole wellbeing. Our work avoids one-size-fits-all solutions and instead focuses on evidence-based, relational, and practical strategies.

What Our Assessments Do and How We Use Them

We use a number of well-established tools to understand your child’s strengths, challenges, and what kinds of support will make the biggest difference. These assessments give us a clearer picture, and they guide how we plan therapy and support.

Developmental Profile, Fourth Edition (DP-4)
The DP-4 measures a child’s development across motor, communication, social, emotional and daily living domains. It compares progress with typical age expectations and identifies strengths and areas that may need more support. The results guide practical steps for both therapy and home life.

Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory – Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT)
The PEDI-CAT assesses a child’s functional skills across daily activities, mobility, social and cognitive domains, and responsibility. It looks at what a child can do in everyday life, how much help they need, and how independent they are. This tool is especially valuable for children with disabilities or developmental challenges, and it helps families and therapists plan supports that build independence and participation.

Sensory Processing Measure, Second Edition (SPM-2)
The SPM-2 looks at how children respond to sensory experiences in their daily environments—at home, at school, and in the community. It assesses how children process sights, sounds, touch, balance, movement, and body awareness. Understanding sensory processing helps explain behaviours such as over-sensitivity, seeking certain sensations, or difficulties with focus and regulation. This assessment guides tailored strategies to support comfort, learning and participation.

Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System, Third Edition (ABAS-3)
The ABAS-3 focuses on how children manage everyday tasks such as dressing, grooming, following rules, staying safe, making friends and joining in with family or community activities. It helps us see how independently your child functions, and where they might need teaching, encouragement, or environmental supports.

Developmental Behaviour Checklist 2 (DBC-2)
This checklist highlights emotional and behavioural concerns such as anxiety, aggression, withdrawal, communication difficulties and social relating. It is especially useful for children with developmental differences. The results guide strategies to reduce distress, improve coping and strengthen emotional wellbeing.

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)
The SDQ is a simple but powerful tool that screens for emotional symptoms, attention and hyperactivity, conduct issues, peer difficulties, and prosocial behaviour. It gives a snapshot of both challenges and strengths, showing where support may be needed and where a child is already doing well.

Parent Evaluation of Developmental Status – Revised (PEDS-R)
The PEDS-R is a structured questionnaire that captures parents’ concerns about their child’s development, behaviour and learning. It helps highlight areas parents notice most, such as speech, motor skills, social behaviour, learning, or emotional wellbeing. By listening to parents’ observations, the PEDS-R ensures that assessments reflect family knowledge and priorities as well as clinical findings.

Developing Prosocial Behaviours

Helping, sharing, cooperating and comforting are not just nice qualities, they are building blocks for healthy friendships, learning and resilience. We know prosocial behaviours grow through warm relationships, role-modelling, encouragement, and practice.

We support children by:

• Teaching empathy, perspective-taking and kindness through stories, games and role play

• Coaching parents and teachers to model helpful and respectful behaviours

• Creating opportunities for children to practise cooperation, turn-taking and problem-solving

• Helping children learn how their actions affect others, and how to make positive choices

Over time, prosocial skills help children feel more confident, connected and valued in their families, schools and communities.

Supporting Transitions Across the Life Course

Growing up is full of transitions, and each one brings new challenges. We help children and families prepare for and manage these steps.

• Starting school – preparing with routines, social skills, confidence and separation readiness

• Moving to high school – managing organisation, peer relationships, new learning expectations and self-advocacy

• Leaving school – exploring future options such as further study, vocational pathways, and community participation, and preparing with skills like travel training, work readiness and daily living skills

• Leaving home – supporting independence with budgeting, cooking, personal care, resilience and emotional regulation, while maintaining connection and support from family and community

Our assessments highlight what skills are already in place and what still needs to be developed, and we work with families to support each step.

Diagnoses and Disabilities We Work With

At Social Sense Allied Health, we specialise in supporting children under 9 who present with significant developmental and functional needs. Many of the families we work with are navigating complex diagnoses or serious health conditions. We know that these can feel overwhelming, and our role is to provide practical support, clear guidance, and compassionate care.

Some of the conditions we commonly support include:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Level 3 – children who require very substantial support across communication, social interaction, behaviour regulation and daily living.

• Cerebral Palsy (CP) – varying from mild to severe, including children who experience motor difficulties, spasticity, or require mobility equipment.

• Brain tumours and acquired brain injuries – supporting recovery, adjustment, and the impact on learning, behaviour and independence.

• Intellectual Disability (ID) – from moderate through to profound levels, including support for communication, daily functioning and participation.

• Genetic and chromosomal syndromes – such as Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and rare or complex syndromes that affect multiple areas of development.

• Neuromuscular disorders – conditions that affect muscle tone, strength and motor control, often requiring multidisciplinary input.

• Severe sensory processing differences – including children who experience overwhelming sensory sensitivities or who seek sensory input in ways that affect their safety or participation.

• Significant psychosocial disabilities – where trauma, chronic illness or family adversity creates major impacts on a child’s ability to function and thrive.

Our focus with these children and families

• Building everyday functioning – helping children gain the skills and supports needed for communication, mobility, learning and self-care.

• Supporting families – reducing stress, advocating within systems, and equipping parents and carers with strategies that fit daily life.

• Coordinating across systems – working closely with educators, therapists, medical professionals and support networks to create consistent approaches.

• Prioritising safety, inclusion and participation – ensuring every child has opportunities to connect, belong and grow in their community.

Paediatric Social Work: A Holistic Approach

Paediatric social work supports children through their early developmental stages with a strong focus on prosocial behaviour, emotional wellbeing, and the gradual transition to independence. Our work is grounded in evidence-based approaches that support children, families, and caregivers in promoting growth, connection, and resilience.

Key areas of focus include:

• Emotional regulation – helping children recognise, understand and manage their feelings in healthy, balanced ways

• Social skill development – building empathy, communication and conflict resolution to strengthen relationships

• Healthy attachment – supporting secure, consistent bonds with caregivers that form the foundation for safety and trust

• Resilience building – teaching coping skills and problem-solving strategies to manage setbacks and stress

• Behavioural support – addressing aggression, impulsivity or withdrawal with tailored strategies

• Coping strategies – providing practical tools for handling stress, anxiety and change

• Self-esteem and confidence – encouraging children to value their strengths and abilities

• Problem-solving skills – supporting curiosity, persistence and flexible thinking

• Empathy development – helping children understand perspectives and respond with compassion

• Communication skills – improving both verbal and non-verbal communication for stronger connections

• Mindfulness and self-awareness – teaching calm focus and body awareness through age-appropriate techniques

• Growth mindset – encouraging persistence, optimism and belief in learning through effort

Paediatric social work prioritises connection, safety and developmentally appropriate interventions. We work closely with caregivers, educators and other professionals to support the child’s overall wellbeing, capacity and sense of self.