About

All about Instinct Au

Instinct Au is an autistic-run company that uses brain-based and sensory-based strategies and interventions to help our clients listen to their bodies and promote their authentic selves and identity. We do not use coercion, compliance, de-sensitisation, extinction, or reward-based strategies, and we do not use any applied behaviour analysis in any way. Instinct Au's team of neurodivergent clinicians prioritises Actually Autistic voices.

Location & Travel

Instinct Au provides services both in person and via telehealth. We don't have any set physical location (e.g., a clinic), as when we provide in-person support, we like to visit our clients where they feel safest, which is usually their home. We have practitioners spread across South East Queensland, and as such, do not charge travel for any clients based between the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, including suburbs as far west as Ipswich. For clients outside of this area, we can either provide support via telehealth or discuss other arrangements including a small fee for travel.

Services that Instinct Au provide include:

Holistic NDIS review reports regarding individual needs of clients in all aspects of life and potential needs regarding service provision.

Development of neurodivergant-affirming support plans (including Positive Behaviour Support Plans requested by the NDIS) which work to describe the way the client navigates the world and what they need from their environment to have their needs met to such an extent that they can feel safe and regulated.

Coaching from autistic and otherwise neurodivergent practitioners to help clients understand and accept their neurotype and manage their own executive dysfunction and/or work out methods of managing and responding to their sensory and social environment and the way their brain perceives the world to live authentically and autonomously.

Counselling to clients regarding history and/or current presentation of trauma and working on the impact of faulty neuroception (when the brain perceives danger where there is no danger) as a result of previous or current situations of trauma.

Counselling to clients, schools, parents, community groups, support workers, service providers, aged care facilities, early childhood education and care facilities regarding any of the areas of our specialisation.

Working with schools, guidance counsellors, teachers, boards and teaching assistants regarding how to embed brain-based and sensory-based integration and neurodivergent-affirming practices in the school and education system.

Presentations and Keynote Speaking. Our practitioners are most happy to provide information sessions, presentations and keynote presentations at conferences, events or professional development for relevant professionals or members of the public.

Sensory Assessments, development of sensory profiles and education and coaching regarding sensory awareness, acceptance, strategies and access. This can also include comprehensive plans which explain the way the environment affects the person from a sensory perspective and how to help the person, and those around them, manage the sensory impact of the world.

Instinct Au Practitioners are led by the work of professionals such as:

Dr Ross Greene (Collaborative and Pro-Active Solutions and his world renown book “The Explosive Child”).

Mona Delahooke PhD (her world renown book “Beyond Behaviours”). We use a lot of work promoted by Mona, especially that related to bottom up or top down approaches and incorporating understanding from polyvagal theory into therapeutic practice and counselling.

Dr Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson PhD (their world renown neuroscience work in “Whole-Brain Child”). We use a lot of the work from Dr Siegal’s work regarding interpersonal neurobiology and brain-based integration.

Greg Santucci (prominent Occupational Therapist, working on sensory integration). Our Developmental Educator’s personal and professional interest is sensory integration. Many of our team have undertaken extensive additional training regarding sensory integration and understanding some of the less understood senses such as proprioceptive, vestibular and interoceptive sensory input and its impact on the person and how they engage and interact with the world.

Kelly Mahler PhD (well known for her ground-breaking work in the field of Interoception). Relevantly trained members of our team use Kelly’s Interoceptive Awareness Assessment Tool to assess the integration of interoceptive sensory awareness as an important component of the whole child/adult’s sensory profile.

Dr Stephen Porges and the Polyvagal Theory & Application. We incorporate much of the learning from understanding the polyvagal theory in our response to anxiety, trauma, depression and faulty neuroception.

Instinct Au respects and is guided by Actually Autistic and Neurodivergent voices.

Instinct Au’s team of clinicians like to work with individual’s and their families by incorporating information regarding matters often neglected by other professionals, such as:

Pathological demand avoidance (PDA).
Attention Deficit Based Disorder (ADHD).
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD).
Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS)
Autistic Inertia
Monotropism
Sensory-based dysregulation and balancing sensory input. We can also do full sensory profiles.
Faulty neuroception and the way trauma changes the way the brain processes information.
Brain-based integration and accessing upper brain, supporting neuroception and regulating brain integration.
Interoceptive awareness and interoceptive assessments.

Instinct Au has a particular interest in working with schools, children, and families who are struggling with the impact of Autism and ADHD, on the schooling experience.

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