Giant Steps Sydney
Giant Steps Sydney
Giant Steps established a school for children with autism (ASD) in Sydney in 1995. Now recognised as a leading education centre, the organisation has expanded its school provision to include a range of integral services to meet the needs of our students and families.
Our trans-disciplinary team supports students from Kindergarten through to Year 12.
Our team of teachers and therapists (Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy and Music Therapy) draw on their expertise to provide an innovative and individualised education and therapy program for each student. These programs are based on the New South Wales Curriculum and incorporate all of the key learning areas.
Each member of our trans-disciplinary team play an integral part in the design, implementation and the assessment of the programs. This collaborative approach allows us to deliver rich learning programs within a supportive teaching environment. These programs aim to support student engagement and develop their skills. Our collaborative approach also allows us to differentiate the program to best support the individual social, physical and emotional needs of each students.
Giant Steps is a school that aims to provide a rich and meaningful education to children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. All students, from K-12, access the Australian Curriculum and are offered the wide array of subjects and experiences that their mainstreams peers access. Autism specific supports and strategies, including therapy support, are layered onto the curriculum within the classroom setting, to ensure our programs are engaging and motivating to our students to enable them to be active learners. Individualisation of these supports and outcomes also allow for students to be at their edge of learning, while still remaining part of the social context of the classroom. Giant Steps does not follow a single delivery model, but instead takes a humanistic and flexible approach to teaching students, aiming for the maximum development and independence that our students can achieve.
Giant Steps aims to build a community around our families, who often become isolated when a child is diagnosed with ASD. We work closely with families to understand how our students function across the whole 24 hours of their day, as all this information affects their ability to learn. We encourage connections with our local community and opportunities for our students to interact with and experience a variety of environments and people. We also provide evidence based and best practice training to other agencies and community groups to develop opportunities for our students in the wider community.
Giant Steps Sydney
Telephone:+61 2 9879 4971
SYDNEY TEAM
Sarah Rawlins
Co-Director PrimarySarah holds a Master of Special Education, University of Newcastle, Bachelor of Education (Music Education), University of Sydney and a Graduate Certificate in Music Therapy.
She has worked closely with both families and mainstream Early Childhood education and care settings to foster and support successful partnerships and collaborative teams around the child and family. Additionally, she has provided training and support to mainstream settings to build capacity and develop quality inclusive practices to support the inclusion of all children within Early Childhood settings.
Caitlin Millauro
Co-Director PrimaryCaitlin Millauro holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education (Primary) and a Masters of Special Education through Macquarie University.
Caitlin has worked across a variety of educational programs including primary age and young adult services. She has been involved with the Student Engagement Support Team at Giant Steps particularly focusing on the area of effective data collection. In 2018-19 Caitlin conducted a school-based research project, focusing specifically on effective literacy programs that can be adapted for students with additional learning needs.
Email:caitlin.millauro@giantsteps.net.au
Telephone:+61 2 9879 4971
Michelle Jones
Co-Director Secondary
Naomi Signo
Co-Director SecondaryNaomi completed her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education (Primary) at Macquarie University and has been a teacher at Giant Steps Sydney since graduating in 2016. She has worked across both Primary and Secondary education programs and is now currently the Co-Director of Secondary.
In 2018-2019 Naomi supported a school-based research project, focusing on effective literacy and adaptation for students with additional learning needs. During her time at Giant Steps, she has worked closely with a transdisciplinary team and found great interest collaborating with music therapists to create engaging resources for students with various learning styles.
Giant Steps is creating a national profile within the schooling and disability sectors.