Scope of Practice (Inclusionary Criteria) – Who we can help

• Children and young adults with developmental disorders, delays or difficulties.  This may include toddlers as young as 15 months, but does not generally include support for infants (under 12 months).  
  • Infants are best supported through hospital outpatient clinics, typically focused on feeding support or gross motor development.  Eg QCH. 
• We accept new clients aged under 16 years 11 months.  This is based on our intention to support meaningful, developmental goals to help kids develop skills to access their primary environments before they transition to a phase of ongoing life skill maintenance or workplace related skill development.
  • We accept referrals for young people who are cognitively below the age of 16; if their goals are developmentally focussed 
• We accept returning clients aged over this cut off if a) they are returning within 12 months of their most recent appointment or b) their previous treating therapist indicates suitability & has availability to review their case AND c) their goals remain developmentally focused (i.e. not related to skill maintenance or workplace employment). 
• We support clients to transition from Cooee if the following criteria is met.  When;
  •  Their goals are no longer developmentally focused 
  •  Their goals are outside of our scope of practice i.e. including:
    • Behaviour support – see Behaviours of Concern (BOC) point below
    • AAC device prescription (see below)
    • Complex feeding or dysphagia support (incl, PEG, NG Tubes, Swallow ax)
  • Their current presentation in the clinic setting doesn’t allow for meaningful engagement in therapy, or endangers themselves, other clients or the clinician physically, emotionally or psychologically.
  • The client or their family can no longer identify meaningful participation level goals (i.e. that ongoing therapy is expected to create a change in the client’s participation at the environment level)

Exclusionary criteria

• Clinical services outside of our clinical scope of practice (listed below)
  • Complex AAC device prescription – inclusive of eye gaze systems, speech generating devices that are not iPad/tablet based; specialised function switches (e.g. sip and puff, head tilt); complex language systems such as MINSPEAK
  • Infant feeding, feeding groups
  • Home modifications
  • Goals that are not developmental in nature and or that a tutor would more suited towards; ie. specific assignment support or subject support
  • Complex app prescription for high school access
  • Myofacial Therapy 
  • Acquired injuries impacting developmental process
  • Voice therapy in children (unless therapists with specific training are employed)
  • Applied Behavioural Analysis Therapy or Discrete Trial Training approaches 
• Physical, emotional or psychological behaviours of concern (BoC) or fear of BoC for themselves, other clients, or the clinician, whether intentionally or unintentionally elicited  
  • Behaviours of Concern (BoC) can include, but not be limited to;
    • Biting , kicking, pushing, use of body as physical force
    • Throwing of objects, furniture
    • Vocal abuse, screaming, yelling
    • Inability to regulate body state to acceptable levels, if the child is over age 13 (i.e. entering puberty) *this is due to the difference in physical size and unpredictability that emotional dysregulation can bring about.
    • Sharing of emotionally or psychologically difficult content 
• Children/Young adults (17 years+) who are working on goals related to recruitment, employment, community access (e.g. volunteering, gaining a licence, etc) or maintenance of current life skills (i.e. no longer expected to improve/develop skill set). 
• Clients/Young Adults (17 years+) who do not have any participation level goals (ICF), who have an ongoing disability/diagnosis.