Next Level Collaboration
A neurodiversity-affirming social capacity building program for children ages 8 - 15
A neurodiversity-affirming social capacity building program for children ages 8 – 15
Our service:
Next Level Collaboration uses carefully selected cooperative video games as a tool to build specific social and collaborative teamwork skills for children aged 8-15 years. Combined with explicit teaching, these games create the conditions to develop these skills in a real-life, interest-based context to support their success. Children learn the meaning of these skills, what they look like, why they are important, and the situations in which they can use these skills.
Participants attend weekly 90-minute in-person sessions at our location in Melbourne, Australia for 8 weeks during school terms. During sessions, participants are guided through our three-stage process to work together and not only build their collaborative teamwork skills, but also a sense of belonging with other gamers like them.
Our program is co-designed with the neurodivergent community, and sessions are facilitated by specifically trained educators, therapists and researchers with lived experience of neurodivergence.
We offer expert care for:
Children aged 8-15- years looking for support with
- Confidence:
- Social capacity
- Supporting positive mealtime routines
- Teamwork
Enquire/ Refer Now
Addressed to: speech-clinic@unimelb.edu.au
Urgent telephone enquiries can be directed to: Dr Olga Birchall, MSPC Clinical Director on 0403 263 846.
Each session contains three stages
Stage A
Instruction focusing on the target skills using explicit teaching and video modelling of the different ways these skills can be used. We focus on finding way of performing these skills that are comfortable for everyone
Stage B
Students playing a carefully selected cooperative video game, with teaching staff identifying and supporting the performance of the target skills
Stage C
Guided reflection on the performance of the target skills by students during the cooperative gameplay
Our people:
Dr Olga Birchall
Clinic Director
Olga graduated from La Trobe university with first class honours in 2000, and over the past 23 years has worked in clinical care, clinical education, and leadership across multiple healthcare settings, including acute teaching hospitals in Australia (Royal Melbourne Hospital, Western Hospital, St Vincent’s Hospital, Monash Medical Centre) and the UK (National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Charing Cross Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital, and others). Since 2004 she has concurrently run a successful mobile Speech Pathology practice servicing adults living in the community, residential aged care homes (RACHs), and acute hospitals. Olga has had extensive experience in leading teams through service development, delivery, and evaluation across acute, rehabilitation, palliative care, community, and outreach settings.
Our Commitment:
Our team is committed to providing professional, evidence-based care tailored to each child’s unique needs through innovation, research, and clinical excellence.
Contact Us
Melbourne Speech Pathology Clinic
Level 1, 723 Swanston St,
Carlton 3053
Phone: 03 9035 7199
Fax: 03 9347 1535
Email: speech-clinic@unimelb.edu.au
Opening hours
Monday - Friday 8:30 am to 4.30 pm
Closed public holidays