What is PACT?
Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT) is an evidence-based therapy which coaches caregivers to support their child’s social and communication skills through video feedback.
The evidence-based approach helps parents and caregivers understand and communicate more effectively with their child by promoting the development of social communication.
The PACT program is provided to the parents and caregivers of children aged 2 to 11 years who would like additional support to understand their child’s communication signals and learn to build great communication into everyday moments.
Although originally created to support autistic children, PACT can benefit any child needing support for social and communication skills.
Discover the many benefits of PACT and how it works in this blog and videos (left) about the program from both a parent’s and clinician’s perspective.
What does the research say?
- PACT is backed by high-quality research and aligns with the National Guideline for supporting autistic children.
- PACT is one of the few autism therapies to show long-term positive outcomes in social communication. The research shows that children who receive PACT therapy have positive impacts on their development, which persists long past when the family has finished the PACT program (Green et al., 2010; Pickles et al., 2016).
Why do clinicians love PACT?
- As a certified PACT clinician, you can feel confident that you are providing children and families with a high-quality therapy that is backed by scientific research.
- The positive impact that video feedback can have on the caregiver-child relationship and how this can support a child and family to meet their goals.
- The PACT approach of working collaboratively with families is transferable to other aspects of clinician’s work and aligns with best-practice guidelines for early support delivery.
Who can do PACT professional training?
Professionals who have a minimum of 2 years of experience working with families of neurodiverse and autistic children.
This can include, speech and language therapists, clinical and educational psychologists, psychiatrists, early years, mainstream and special needs teachers, therapists, family support workers, social workers, specialist nurses, and health visitors.
What is included in PACT professional training?
CliniKids is the only service provider in Australia and New Zealand to offer training and certification in PACT. Once certified you can offer the PACT program at your place of work. Training involves:
PACT Level One
- A half-day of independent e-learning programme contains approximately 90 minutes of video interactive tasks, a video demonstration of PACT and an introduction to the method, techniques and research behind PACT.
PACT Level Two
- Four half-days of online training with a PACT trainer covering the core principles and the current evidence for PACT, demonstrating the model in use through video and role plays.
Group Supervision and feedback session
- A half-day online group session to support the completion of post-course fidelity requirements. Participant are given time to do at home practise, that is shared with the group for feedback and support.
1:1 Fidelity Rating
- 1-2 individual supervision meetings with a trainer where feedback is provided on video submissions required to become accredited. Participants provide video submissions of PACT sessions with their chosen volunteers. This allows them the opportunity to practice on the demographic of their current workplace.
- A PACT accreditation certificate for trainees who pass their post-course fidelity requirements.
Resources
- Participants also receive a PACT e-manual, electronic fillable forms and role play examples.
- Access to articles and research resources.
How much does PACT training cost?
$2850 (including GST) per participant
Course dates
Participants must be available to attend all live training dates in order to complete certification. They must also understand and agree to the CliniKids Terms of Service.
September 2025
- Level 2 Training – 16, 17, 23 and 24 September, 9am-1pm (AWST)
- Group Supervision – 12 November, 9am-1pm (AWST)
March 2026
June 2026
Have an enquiry?
If you have any questions, please email: clinikids.training@thekids.org.au
Or, register now