Work in Australia 2003- current
Soon after arriving in Australia, I moved to Melbourne and joined the staff of Bayside Special Developmental School [SDS] in Moorabbin, on a part time basis as a Leading Teacher and Intensive Interaction Coordinator. I have full teaching registration in Victoria. Bayside SDS has become Australia’s Centre of Excellence for Training in Intensive Interaction. The school and its standards of practice were given the enthusiastic support of the UK Intensive Interaction Institute by Dr Dave Hewett during his visit in 2008.
Mark Barber with Rosemary Gallagher (former Principal of Bayside SDS) and Mark Hewett
In Melbourne’s SE Suburbs, Bayside SDS is a government funded school which provides education to students with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities, often with autistic spectrum disorders. The school provided the context for the first Australian enquiry into the use of Intensive Interaction. This initial research project was published in European Journal of Special Needs Education in 2008. With Bayside SDS as the host organization, I present a range of regular day seminars and workshops at weekends. These Professional Development events are held at a conference facility which adjoins the school. Since 2004 over 80 schools from Victoria and Interstate have attended training there.
Weekend workshop at Bayside SDS
Intensive Interaction in Australia
I still live in Melbourne, where in addition to my work with Bayside SDS; I act in an advisory and consultancy role with a number of Melbourne Specialist and Special Development Schools as well as other agencies that provide services for people who experience profound intellectual disabilities, often in association with autistic spectrum disorders or multiple physical and sensory impairments. I tour Australia and New Zealand extensively, presenting a range of seminars and training days on Intensive Interaction to Special Educators, Speech Pathologists, Psychologists and allied health professionals in each state, as well as to Parent Groups, Care Providers and Adult/Children Residential Services. I am pleased to respond to frequent requests to present papers and supplementary workshops at National and State-wide and International Conferences
Australasian Conference on Intensive Interaction
As a measure of how far Intensive Interaction has come in Australia since its introduction in 2003, Intensive Interaction Australia held its Inaugural Conference in Brisbane in 2008. We were delighted to welcome over 160 delegates from across Australia and New Zealand who came together for the first time as a group of practitioners. The Queensland Minister for Education opened proceedings with an inspiring address followed by Dave Hewett [Keynote Speaker]. Graham Firth joined over 30 other papers which were presented by teachers, music therapists and practitioners from a range of services over the day and a half of the tremendous event. We hope to repeat this event every two or three years.
Intensive Interaction Australia Inaugural Conference 2008