Secret Agent Society - Solving the Mystery of Social Encounters

Thank you to Qualia Occupational Therapy for Children for sharing this reflection letter written by an SAS Cadet. Secret Agent Society is designed to help kids feel calmer, braver, and happier more often, and we loved reading about this Cadet using their emotion regulation strategies to help them stay focused during their exam!

Image description: A two-page handwritten story by a student titled "My First Time Doing An Exam." Written on white paper, the student describes overcoming their nerves during a recent Opportunity Class (OC) exam by using calming strategies they learned from the Secret Agent Society. The second page concludes the story with a reflection on their emotional journey: "First I was nervous and at last, I realised that it is not a big deal."

You bring the clinical expertise. We bring the structure.

If you're an experienced clinician, your time is best spent on individualising care and mastering group dynamics, not on hours of session planning and resource creation. SAS Facilitator Training can be a first step towards trying the evidence-based framework and getting quality professional development in social-emotional learning.

Using our 2-for-1 Facilitator Training offer this month, you can train first, explore the program, and decide whether to implement our ready-to-use resources later.

Purchase SAS training via the link below and start streamlining your delivery:
https://www.secretagentsociety.com/sas-training

Exciting news from Aspect! Social connection is something we value a lot at Social Science Translated, and we're thrilled to see the National Autism Strategy 2025–31 backing a dedicated initiative to strengthen belonging for Autistic people and their families.

We're especially encouraged by the partnership with Reframing Autism. This collaboration ensures lived experience and neurodiversity-affirming practice remain central throughout.

Congratulations to Aspect and all partners involved. We look forward to supporting this work in the community as it evolves!

Aspect has been selected to lead a new national initiative under the Australian Government’s National Autism Strategy 2025–31.

Funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, the Improving Social Connections initiative aims to help Autistic people, families and carers feel more connected, supported and included in their communities.

The program will support peer-led connection opportunities across Australia and will be co-designed with Autistic people in partnership with .

Over time, the initiative will support local connection opportunities, practical resources and a digital hub with information and updates.

Learn more about the program: https://www.aspect.org.au/news/improving-social-connections-initiative

Is your child worried about "mean" kids at school? One of the latest updates we've made to the content in Secret Agent Society helps to reframe bullying. Rather than using labels like "bullies" or "enemies", the program now refers to behaviours. For example, we use the phrase "people who are bullying" instead. This helps prevent name-calling and keeps the focus on the behaviour, rather than the person's identity, creating space for change and helping children feel more comfortable in seeking support.

Interested in finding out what else SAS covers? Tap the link below to find out how the program supports social-emotional learning.

Image description: A purple-themed graphic from the Secret Agent Society featuring a large white card that asks, "Is a child you support worried about 'mean' kids at school?" Two 3D animated bully characters are shown at the bottom, alongside the official program logo and website.

Transition from theory to practice with confidence!

For early-career clinicians, supporting social-emotional learning and running groups can feel daunting. SAS Facilitator Training helps you build multiple clinical competencies, from intake and assessment to group facilitation, functional analysis of behaviours, systemic work, and using scientist-practitioner models.

You won't just learn social-emotional theory, you'll get the practical tools for delivering life-changing outcomes for neurodivergent children. Start your journey with training and decide on full program implementation when you're ready.

Secure 2-for-1 Facilitator Training and get to know the program before June 30 via the link below:

https://www.secretagentsociety.com/sas-training

Image description: A promotional graphic for Secret Agent Society showing a facilitator smiling and engaging with two young students at a table. The children are happily interacting with tablets, highlighting a collaborative learning environment. The bold blue text "2-for-1 Facilitator Training" is featured at the bottom, with the official program logo centred at the top.

Thank you, Laura Shilson, Occupational Therapist at ConnectWell Community Health, for participating in one of our latest co-design projects. With over 25 years of experience and insight as a paediatric OT, we loved having Laura's input. She trained as a Secret Agent Society Facilitator in 2023 and champions our social-emotional learning program. Over the years, the wider team has also participated in multiple SAS research projects through Carleton University and funded by Kids' Brain Health Network. Thank you, Laura and the team, for your ongoing contributions to SAS!

Image description: A vibrant graphic featuring a smiling woman in a circular frame, set against a backdrop of colourful, abstract shapes. A large white bubble highlights a quote from the team at ConnectWell Autism Services, expressing their appreciation for participating in multiple SAS research projects over the years. The image includes logos for ConnectWell Community Health and Social Science Translated.

Ever wanted to trial Secret Agent Society without committing to a full service rollout?

Now is the time. Our Facilitator Training is a great way to build your capability, explore the SAS framework, and assess the program's fit for your clinic, without making a big commitment. Register for Facilitator Training before June 30 and get a second seat for free.

Secure your EOFY professional development and boost your team's impact via the link below!

https://www.secretagentsociety.com/sas-training

Image description: A promotional graphic for the Secret Agent Society featuring the bold blue headline "2-for-1 Facilitator Training." The image showcases a smiling woman with glasses holding a tablet, standing alongside a 3D animated character against a clean, light-blue grid background. The official Secret Agent Society logo is positioned in the bottom left corner.

Does going to school feel like a challenging mission for your child? Navigating the social complexities of the playground and classroom routines can be difficult.

We've been busy updating Secret Agent Society content to help children feel more empowered and more understood in moments like these.

One of the new changes we've made to language and activities is to focus on personal goals, rather than fitting into the goals of others. We've refreshed our Friendometer and Friend Profiling tools to be about curiosity. Instead of "don'ts," we encourage focus on exploring what works for each child. Similarly, as you prep your child for the school day, you could try talking to them about their specific goals. Do they want to find someone to eat lunch with? Or is their goal to feel more comfortable working in a team during science class?

What experiments have you recently tried to help your kid feel more comfortable at school?

Image description: A purple-themed graphic from Secret Agent Society featuring a large white card that asks, "Does going to school feel like a challenging mission for your child?" At the bottom, a smiling young girl stands alongside 3D animated agent characters, complete with the organisation's logo and website link.