Welcome to Elefant Heart Co.
At Elefant Heart Co Cairns, we help children, young people, and families build confidence, develop meaningful connections, and thrive in their everyday lives.
We do this through three specialised services: Disability & Inclusion Education Services, Social Participation & Creative Learning Sessions and Literacy & Dyslexia Intervention.
Our approach creates safe, welcoming spaces where every individual is valued for who they are. We celebrate the many ways people think, learn, and interact with the world, building on individual strengths to support growth, independence, and a genuine sense of belonging.
Maree Byrne
Founding Director - Elefant Heart Co
Every person learns, communicates, and experiences the world in their own unique way.
As the founder of Elefant Heart Co, I bring over 17 years of educational experience supporting neurodivergent and disabled learners of all ages across both government and independent school settings, alongside lived experience supporting family members with disability.
At Elefant Heart Co, I provide neuro-affirming, strengths-based educational services tailored to each individual's unique interests, abilities, and goals. Whether through literacy and dyslexia intervention, inclusive education, or social participation and creative learning, my focus is on building confidence, developing skills, fostering independence, and creating meaningful opportunities for learning, connection, and participation.
Collaboration is central to everything I do. I work alongside children, young people, families, educators, and support teams to create practical strategies that empower individuals both at home and within their communities. Whether supporting literacy development, navigating educational pathways, or building confidence through creative and social experiences, my goal is to help every person thrive while fostering a genuine sense of belonging and possibility.
Our Services
Literacy/Dyslexia Intervention Sessions
A registered teacher with several years experience supporting students with dyslexic profiles, learning disabilities and literacy gaps, Maree uses current strategies from ongoing training in the Multisensory Structured Language approach to teaching to make learning feel safe and successful.
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Multisensory Structured Language Education - Dyslexia
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Foundations of Literacy - phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension
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Open to all ages
Disability & Inclusion Education Services
(Early Childhood & Beyond)
Every person thrives when the important people in their life work together. We provide a personalised, wraparound service that supports individuals by strengthening the skills and confidence of their families, educators, and support teams.
Working collaboratively with families, childcare centres, kindergartens, schools, and allied health professionals, we turn therapy recommendations into practical, everyday strategies that can be embedded into home, early learning, and school environments.
With extensive experience across education and intervention, we help create consistent, supportive environments where people feel understood, capable, and empowered to reach their full potential.
Social Participation &
Creative Learning Sessions
We provide a strengths-based, inclusive learning experience designed to support children and young people with diverse developmental profiles, including developmental delays or disabilities, to build confidence, connection, independence, and meaningful participation.
Discover our Brick-Based (Lego®) and Creative Art sessions, beginning with tailored 1:1 support to build foundational communication, teamwork, and confidence. As participants grow, they progress into interactive, small-group sessions designed to build lasting social skills, independence, and daily life capacities.
Learn
Initial Literacy Intervention Assessment
Fee: $120 per session (50 min session)
Comprehensive assessment aligned with Australian Dyslexia Association and uses a multisensory structured literacy approach.
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Phonological Awareness
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Phoneme/Grapheme Knowledge
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Decoding and Encoding Skills
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Reading Comprehension
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Written Language
This assessment typically takes 2-3 sessions with results identifying specific gaps that inform the creation of a personalised intervention plan.
Ongoing Literacy Intervention Sessions
Fee: $120 (50-min session)
After creation of the individualised program,
engaging, multisensory sessions are designed to deliver a structured program built entirely around each learner’s profile, goals, and passions.
The focus remains on closing educational gaps and unlocking full potential. A nurturing environment ensures learners stay motivated while building the self-belief needed to thrive.
Administration
Fee: $120 per hour
Charged based on the time required to complete requested documentation:
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Letters of support
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Recommendations
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Comprehensive reports
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Forms and referrals
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Questionnaires
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Recommendations for individualised support plans
Social Participation & Creative Learning Sessions
Through individual and small-group experiences, children and young adults are supported to explore their interests, share their strengths, develop relationships, and engage in learning experiences in ways that are meaningful and comfortable for them.
Building confidence, connection and participation
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Supporting people to engage in activities, routines, and social experiences by building on their existing strengths, interests, and abilities.
Supporting social connection and collaborative learning
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Providing structured opportunities for individuals to develop friendships, engage with peers, share ideas, take turns, collaborate, and participate in group experiences.
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Social & Communication Skills: Our small-group dynamics specifically target turn-taking, collaborative problem-solving, emotional regulation, and expressive communication through structured team roles.
Creative learning through hands-on experiences
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Using engaging, practical activities such as lego bricks, clay sculpting, painting, construction, collage and beading to encourage joint attention, creativity, confidence, persistence, and participation in learning experiences.
Supporting planning, organisation and independent learning
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Through multi-step projects such as ceramics, textured artwork, collage, and building activities, children are supported to explore planning, organising resources, following their own ideas, making decisions, solving problems, and completing projects at their own pace.
NDIS pricing:
Pricing is based on the current NDIS Pricing Schedule and the type of support delivered. Individual and group sessions may be charged differently in accordance with applicable NDIS pricing and claiming rules.
Initial Consultation: Free
NDIS participants: Pricing will be confirmed based on the participant's plan, the nature of the support being delivered, group size where applicable, and the applicable NDIS support item.
Create
Grow
Disability & Inclusion Education Services
(Early Childhood & Beyond)
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Providing a collaborative, wrap-around service that builds the skills and confidence of children, families, early learning educators, and school staff.
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With extensive experience in interpreting and applying allied health recommendations, people are supported to develop skills in real-life contexts, promoting consistency, confidence, and positive outcomes across all environments.
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Taking a holistic approach, goals from allied health teams are seamlessly incorporated into individual's natural daily routines within the home, kindergarten, childcare centre or school.
Time spent working directly with the participant and/or their support network to achieve their goals and implement support strategies.
This may include:
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Face-to-face consultations
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Telehealth consultations (phone or video)
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Home visits
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Visits to early childhood education and care services, kindergartens, schools, or other community settings
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Meetings with parents, carers, educators, and other relevant professionals where the participant's goals and support needs are being addressed
Pricing
Age: 0 to 8 Years
Initial Consultation - Free
Priced as per the 2026-27 NDIS Pricing Schedule
Hourly Rate: $193.99
Support Item Number: 15_625_0118_1_3
Support Item Name: ECI Professional - Early Childhood Teacher or Educator - Direct Service
Age: 9 + years
Initial Consultation - Free
NDIS participants: Pricing will be confirmed based on the participant's plan, the nature of the support being delivered, and the applicable NDIS support item.
Travel Costs
Priced as per the NDIA Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits
*Travel Costs referred to in the Service Agreement.
Cancellations
Priced as per the NDIA Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits
*Cancellations made within 48 hours of scheduled appointment with participant (including other third party providers) will be charged as per the cancellation policy within the Service Agreement.
Send an Enquiry
Interested in Services provided by Elefant Heart Co?
0424055088
Cairns and surrounding areas
