About Secret Agent Society®
The skill of reading social situations and then acting appropriately does not come naturally for some. This is often the case for some children and for those with a diagnosis of Autism, ADD/ADHD or Anxiety for whom the complexities of navigating social interactions can be daunting. This can have a huge impact on your child’s social and emotional wellbeing if they do not receive support. The good news is that these complex social skills can be taught! And the Secret Agent Society® (SAS) program is an evidence-based program designed to do just that in a fun and engaging format. This popular and effective social skills approach is used with 8 to 12-year-old children with a range of social and emotional challenges.
Secret Agent Society is a break-through evidence-backed program created by Australian clinical psychologist, Dr Renae Beaumont. It teaches participants important skills by focusing on four main areas:
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Emotion Recognition (in other people and self)
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Emotion Regulation (particularly anxiety and anger)
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Diverse Social Skills (including for both friendship and teamwork)
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Problem Solving (as an individual and in a group).
The Secret Agent Society® empowers children with the tools and skills to change their everyday lives by making friends and feeling happier, calmer, and braver.
Why choose Secret Agent Society®?
The SAS program aims to help children learn how to:
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Recognise simple and complex emotions in themselves and others
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Express feelings in appropriate ways
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Cope with feelings of anger and anxiety
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Start, continue, and end conversations and play activities with others
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Tell the difference between friendly joking and mean teasing
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Manage bullying
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Cope with making mistakes
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Handle new situations and ask for help when needed
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Make friends AND KEEP THEM!
Program cost and inclusions
Total program cost: $3500 (EVERYTHING INCLUDED!)
Program Inclusions:
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Intake interview (1 hour): Before commencing the program an individual pre-program meeting will gather information about your child and determine whether the program will meet your family's needs
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9 x 90min child group meetings: These include various games and activities that teach emotion management and social skills.
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9 x 30min parent/mentor group meetings: Following the child group session every week. Parent group meetings are held throughout the program to advise and support parents on the content of child group meetings and how to help their children apply their SAS skills in real life.
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2 follow up sessions: At 3 and 6 months post-group (90 mins each). Includes a small party and graduation ceremony
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Home missions: Children play the Secret Agent Society computer game between sessions and complete 'home missions' with parental guidance
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Teacher tip sheets: Parents will be provided with weekly teacher tip sheets to pass on to their child's teacher. Teacher tip sheets provide recommendations for how school staff can support children's social development and create a friendly and caring learning environment.
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Skill Tracker System: A short-term daily motivation tool is used to encourage children to practice specific skills at home and school, aligned with progression through each module of the program.
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Assessment Measures: A combination of questionnaire booklets, an observational assessment tool, computer game performance and Skill Tracker progress, provide valuable information to guide areas of focus for each individual child as well as providing easy and comprehensive outcome reporting.
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SAS Digital Headquarters: The online gateway for children to access their club meeting activities, four levels of gamified learning, digital gadget pack, a Mission Journal for self-reflection on real life practice tasks, a multi-user Skill Tracker system, and other tools.
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Rewards at the end of every session: Rewards and gadgets that can be used to help feel calm and happy
ALL SESSIONS ARE DELIVERED BY SECRET AGENT SOCIETY® ACCREDITED FACILITATORS
SAS® is NDIS supported
The NDIS supports individuals with social and emotional difficulties, decision making powers over the support services they receive. SAS® can help participants meet their social, emotional and behavioural goals. These goals often will align with the NDIS plan goals. The SAS® program can enable participants and their family’s capacity building in the following areas:
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Social and Community Participation
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Improved Relationships
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Improved Daily Living Skills
We can accept clients who have self-managed and plan-managed NDIS packages. We are unable to accept NDIA-managed plans.
Participation requirements
To partake in the Secret Agent Society program, Junior Detectives need to meet the following:
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Be aged between 8 to 12 years
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Have average Literacy abilities
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Be interested in learning how to crack friendship codes (teamwork, appropriate play behaviour, conversations, dealing with losing etc.) and strategies to feel calm and happy
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Be willing to embrace their strengths and interests to overcome social missions and emotional challenges
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Be able to attend every session of the program
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Be willing to get involved and have fun
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Parents must be willing to support their child throughout the program and to attend parent group meetings
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Do not pose a significant threat to the safety or learning outcomes of other children
How do I enrol my Child?
Click the Register Now button at the top of the page and one of our friendly team will be in touch.
What does the research say?
Research on the program and its impacts on participants has been carried out across the world, including in Australia, Ireland, Canada, and the USA. The results of these studies have been so positive, it has revealed results beyond even its original intentions. While the program was first developed for children on the autism spectrum, evidence has clearly shown that it can also provide meaningful change for children with a range of diagnostic and neurodiverse profiles, such as ADHD and anxiety.
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