Research shows that outcomes are stronger when caregivers are actively involved in supporting neurodivergent youth.
At Making Connections Toowoomba, we believe caregiver involvement is often the 'magic ingredient' — not only during an intervention, but in helping young people continue to practise, use and build on these skills outside the intervention setting and long after a program has finished.
What’s Coming Up
We currently have two parent programs available.
PEERS® for Preschoolers
Online Caregiver Coaching Program | Starting Soon
For caregivers of children aged 4–6 who need support with play, playground situations and early friendship skills.
READ MORE ↓
ADHD Parent Workshop
Saturday 11th July
For caregivers wanting to better understand ADHD and learn practical strategies to support their young person.
READ MORE ↓
PEERS® for Preschoolers
Online Parent Coaching Program | Ages 4–6
Is your child finding play or friendships harder than expected?
Maybe they hover near other children but don’t quite know how to join in. Maybe they prefer adults, get upset when play does not go their way, struggle with turn-taking, or find playground situations overwhelming. You may be wondering how to help without pushing too hard, making things worse, or expecting them to “just know” what to do.
PEERS® for Preschoolers is a 16-week evidence-based parent coaching program that helps caregivers support young children to build the early foundations of friendship, play, communication and emotional regulation.
At Making Connections Toowoomba, we offer the online parent coaching version of the program. This means children do not attend the sessions. Instead, caregivers learn practical strategies they can use in everyday moments — at home, at kindy, at the park, during play dates, with siblings and out in the community.
Why Parent Coaching?
Caregiver involvement is often the magic ingredient.
When significant adults understand the strategies being taught, children are more likely to practise them in real life — not just during a session, but in the places where friendship and play actually happen. This also means the support can continue long after the program has finished.
This approach can be especially helpful for children who are not yet ready for a group program, feel overwhelmed in social settings, or need support first through the adults who know them best.
Who can this program help?
This Program May Help If Your Child:
finds it hard to join in with other children
struggles with sharing, turn-taking or flexible play
becomes upset when they lose or things change
prefers adults over peers
has big feelings during play or group situations
wants friends but does not quite know how to connect
is autistic, ADHD, anxious, socially uncertain, or simply needs more explicit support
A formal diagnosis is not required.
What caregivers learn
Across the program, caregivers learn practical ways to support:
- greetings and responding to others
- asking children to play
- joining in with peers
- turn-taking and cooperative play
- handling winning, losing and disappointment
- flexible thinking during play
- managing frustration and transitions
- building early friendship confidence
You won’t be learning alone. Each group is kept small, with only 6–8 caregivers, so there is time to ask questions, talk through real-life examples and receive feedback on how the strategies are working at home and in the community.
Each week, you will receive clear, step-by-step instruction, a program workbook, practical examples, opportunities for discussion, and guidance around your social coaching practice between sessions.
Is it a fit for us?
Who Is This For?
This program is for caregivers of children aged approximately 4–6 years who are speaking in sentences and would benefit from extra support with friendship and play skills.
Although we use the word “parent”, we mean caregivers more broadly. This may include parents, legal guardians, grandparents, step-parents, kinship carers or other significant adults in a child’s life.
Program Details
Format: Online parent coaching program
Duration: 16 weeks across Terms 3 and 4
Session Time: Mondays, 1:00pm – 2:15pm
Start Date: July 2026
Facilitator: Fiona Goodall
Autism Coach & Director of Making Connections Toowoomba
BEd, MSpEd, Certified PEERS® Facilitator
Stable internet is required.
Fees & Full Information
Understanding and Supporting ADHD
Saturday Parent Workshop
July 2026
Raising a young person with ADHD can be wonderful, funny, creative and full of energy — but it can also feel exhausting, confusing and overwhelming.
You may find yourself wondering:
- Why do simple things feel so hard?
- Why can they do something one day, but not the next?
- Why do reminders, rewards or consequences not always work?
- Why are emotions so big?
- How do I actually help without constantly nagging, rescuing or feeling like the “bad guy”?
This workshop is designed to help parents and caregivers better understand what is happening underneath ADHD behaviours, and to leave with practical strategies that make everyday life feel more manageable.
This is not about “fixing” your young person. It is about understanding their brain, reducing shame and overwhelm, and learning what supports actually help.
What We Will Cover
The workshop is delivered in two parts across one day, with a light lunch provided in between.
Part 1: Understanding ADHD
9:30am – 12:00pm
In the morning session, we look at what ADHD is, what it is not, and why it can impact so many parts of everyday life.
We will explore:
the brain-based differences that drive behaviour
executive functioning in real life
why motivation, follow-through and routines can be so hard
emotional regulation and big reactions
what may be sitting underneath behaviour that looks like defiance, laziness or “not caring”
Light Lunch
12:00pm – 12:30pm
Lunch is provided, with time to pause, chat and reset before the afternoon session.
Part 2: Practical Strategies That Work
12:30pm – 2:30pm
In the afternoon session, we move into practical, realistic supports you can start using at home, school and in everyday life.
You will learn:
five evidence-based strategies you can adapt straight away
what supports are usually non-negotiable for ADHD brains
how to reduce overwhelm for both you and your young person
simple, cost-neutral tools and templates
how to choose priorities instead of trying to change everything at once
You will receive a personal workbook, take-home checklists and practical templates to help you apply what you have learned beyond the workshop.
Who Is This Workshop For?
This workshop is for parents and caregivers of young people with ADHD, or suspected ADHD, who want to better understand what is going on and how to support them in a more practical, compassionate and effective way.
You do not need to be enrolled in a Making Connections Toowoomba program to attend. This workshop is open to families in the wider community.
Although we use the word “parent”, we mean caregivers more broadly. This may include legal guardians, grandparents, step-parents, kinship carers or other significant adults in a young person’s life.
Why Attend?
Parents and caregivers often leave this workshop feeling:
more confident in understanding their young person
clearer about what ADHD support actually looks like
reassured that they are not alone
affirmed in what they are already doing well
equipped with practical strategies for home and school
less focused on “fixing” behaviour and more focused on understanding and support
Workshop Details & Costs
Date: Saturday 11 July 2026
Time: 9:30am – 2:30pm
Lunch: Light lunch provided
Cost: $190 per person
Includes the full 4.5 hour workshop, personal workbook, practical templates and lunch.
Attendance at both the morning and afternoon session is required, as the content is intentionally split across the day to reduce overwhelm and support deeper learning.
Note: Payment will be issued after the workshop; however, registration confirms your place and your commitment to attend.
Workshop fees are non-refundable, except in the event that Making Connections Toowoomba cancels the session.
Cancellations with less than 48 hours’ notice will be charged in full. This helps ensure our workshops have sufficient enrolments to run and remain viable for our small business.
Facilitator
Fiona Goodall
Specialist Educator and Director of Making Connections Toowoomba
BEd, MSpEd
Fiona has worked with neurodivergent children, teens and young adults for over two decades across schools, specialist settings and community-based programs. She has a personal and professional interest in ADHD, and her Masters thesis focused on ADHD in the classroom.
Fiona supports families, educators and professionals to understand ADHD through a practical, strengths-based and neuroaffirming lens.
Register
CLICK HERE
What Other Parents Say
“MCT has yet again been a guiding light in our neurodiverse journey. If only this course was connected to the diagnosis as a starting point to understanding ADHD. A big thank you to Fiona for unpacking what is ADHD and how it presents in our children day to day, in different stages.”
Parent, January 2026
“I feel I know much more about what is happening beneath it all. Strategies were practical and adaptable. Thank you.”
Parent, April 2026
“I know so much more about why things are happening. This has been a game changer for me.”
Parent, April 2026
Workshop Details
Date: Saturday 11 July 2026
Time: 9:30am – 2:30pm
Lunch: Light lunch provided
Cost: $190 per person
Includes the full 4.5 hour workshop, personal workbook, practical templates and lunch.
Attendance at both the morning and afternoon session is required, as the content is intentionally split across the day to reduce overwhelm and support deeper learning.
