Preschool Prep Readiness Early Intervention 2025
Pre-School Readiness Early-Intervention Program (PREP)
PREP is our intensive group therapy programme designed for children with autism or developmental delays, aged 2 to 5, to help them prepare for mainstream kindergarten or primary school.
Our PREP curriculum supports children in developing essential social, communication, cognitive, and motor skills, ensuring they are ready to thrive in a mainstream classroom environment.
What is the goal of our PREP program?
The PREP curriculum aims to support Neurodivergent children to acquire the skills across the major early childhood developmental milestones necessary to succeed in mainstream kindergarten or other early education classrooms.
Our comprehensive PREP curriculum targets key areas critical for academic and social success, including:
- Social Skills Development: Using evidence-based strategies such as modelling, role-play, and naturalistic teaching, we support children in learning essential social behaviours, including turn-taking, cooperative play, following group instructions, and building peer relationships. These skills are vital for positive engagement in group learning environments (Leaf et al., 2016).
- Communication Skills: We employ a combination of verbal behaviour strategies (Sundberg & Partington, 1998) and functional communication training (Carr & Durand, 1985) to enhance expressive and receptive language. Children are taught to request, respond, and engage in reciprocal conversations, supporting effective classroom communication and reducing communication-based frustrations.
- Cognitive and Pre-Academic Skills: Through evidence-based teaching methods, including discrete trial teaching (DTT) and natural environment teaching (NET), we foster the development of problem-solving, early literacy, numeracy, and other pre-academic skills. This balanced approach supports generalisation and helps children apply their learning across different environments (Smith, 2001).
- Motor Skills and Independence: Our curriculum includes fine and gross motor skill development to support everyday classroom tasks, such as writing, cutting, and participating in physical activities. We also teach self-help and independence skills to facilitate smooth transitions and daily routines.
Who is eligible for the PREP Program?
PREP is our intensive group therapy programme designed for children with autism, aged 2 to 5, to prepare them for successful participation in mainstream kindergarten or primary school settings. Grounded in the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), PREP focuses on building the foundational skills necessary for classroom readiness through evidence-based interventions tailored to each child’s developmental needs.
Throughout the programme, we use ongoing data collection and progress monitoring to ensure interventions are individualised and responsive to each child's growth. Emphasis is placed on generalisation and maintenance of skills, equipping children to apply what they learn across a variety of settings.
PREP offers a supportive, structured environment where children receive individualised attention while learning in a group setting. By aligning our practices with the latest ABA research, we aim to provide children with the skills and confidence to thrive in mainstream educational environments.
Who is eligible for PREP?
Children must receive an assessment or currently be enrolled in ongoing services at Jigsaw to be eligible for the PREP Program.