Our Services
Allied Health Assistants
Allied Health Assistants (AHAs)
Allied Health Assistants (AHAs) are able to support and nurture your child’s goals, under the guidance of a qualified Allied Health Professionals, such as Speech Pathologists and Occupational Therapists. An AHA might work on a range of skills, like helping your child with handwriting, working on their speech sound development, or being their 1:1 support in a social group. Whatever you need, our AHA team can provide accessible, affordable, and guided intervention. At Inner West Paediatrics we are committed to providing family-centred, accessible support that helps your child learn new skills across everyday routines.
How our Allied Health Assistants can help
Your child’s AHA sessions are always guided and supported by a qualified clinician. This ensures therapy support is consistent, safe, and focused on your child’s goals.
Here’s what to expect:
Clinician-planned
sessions
Ongoing clinician
support
Reviewed session
notes
What the Program Involves
Initial assessment and goal-setting
The AHA Program begins with an assessment and goal meeting with your child’s qualified therapist. This helps us understand your child’s strengths, needs, and priorities, and ensures the therapy plan is tailored to your family. Alternatively, your current clinician may recommend an AHA program as a next step following an assessment or a block of intervention with them.
A structured block of sessions
The AHA Program is delivered as a block of sessions as directed by the treating therapist. This allows us to focus on specific goals and measure progress in a consistent way.
Review with the treating therapist
Continuing support if needed
FAQs
How do I get started with an AHA program?
Referrals cannot be made directly for an AHA program. If you are new to Inner West Paediatrics, get in touch with our Customer Service team. We will first book you in for an initial assessment with an Occupational Therapist or Speech Pathologist, so we can identify how to help you meet your goals. Once the assessment is completed, your therapist will help with allocating you to an AHA, meet with you to set your goals, and then write the AHA program.
If you are already a client of Inner West Paediatrics, speak to your therapist in your next session to see if an AHA program is right for you.
Why choose an AHA program?
AHA sessions make therapy much more flexible and accessible. Sessions can be delivered:
- In our clinic
- In your home or school
- Online
AHA sessions are an affordable option for therapy, while maintaining high-quality care. They can also be a great option for practising your skills in between therapy sessions if you would like to increase your one-on-one support.
How much does an AHA program cost?
AHA sessions are billed at the hourly rate of $86.79.
Your child’s AHA program is designed and closely supported by a qualified therapist. This means that clinician time spent on session planning, supervision, and reviewing notes is also billed, in line with our standard therapy rates.
If sessions take place offsite (for example, at school or home), travel time and related costs may also be billed.
Initial assessments, review appointments, and any therapist-led sessions are billed at our usual therapy rates.
What is the difference between an AHA and a qualified therapist?
What funding is available for AHA sessions?
You can use your NDIS funding for AHA sessions, under the Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living funding in the NDIS Price Guide (Early Childhood Intervention Professional – Therapy Assistant – Level 2 & Therapy Assistant – Level 2).
AHA sessions are not eligible for Medicare or Private Health insurance rebates.
