SPRING HOLIDAYS 2026
Sunshine Coast Programs
Coast Tech Labs delivers high-interest capacity-building programs designed specifically for autistic (ASD) children and teens. Delivered in a supportive, neuro-affirming environment, our Spring holiday programs bridge creative technology with real-world social collaboration.
Sessions are co-facilitated by our multidisciplinary clinical and technical team, including Paediatric Occupational Therapists Lauren Bezuidenhout and Elizabeth (“Lizzie”) Tyquin, and Allied Health Assistants (AHA) Colleen Brookhouse and Joel Biddle (Founder and Lead Software Engineer).
Programs are hosted across the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, with remote participation options available. Joel actively facilitates all programs in person.
NDIS funding, transport & online options may be available. For more information or to book your child's place, please contact Joel via one of the options below or simply comment "SC Spring info pack" on any of the Coast Tech Labs Facebook posts.
Biomimicry: Minecraft Tech Concepts in Nature
Taking our design concepts out of the lab and into the real world, this excursion explores how engineers and artists steal their best ideas directly from nature. Participants will investigate how biological systems solve complex survival problems and translate those physical observations into digital blueprints and tech
concepts.
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Field Operations: Operating out of local Botanic Gardens, teams will conduct guided, sensory-friendly walks to analyze the structural engineering of nature.
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Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden (Mon 21 Sep): We will analyze the dense rainforest gullies and ephemeral wetlands to understand water flow, gravity, and how moss-covered root networks stabilize soil.
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Noosa Botanic Gardens (Fri 25 Sep): We will explore the shores of Lake Macdonald and local flora to observe geometric patterns, leaf transpiration, and natural load-bearing structures.
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Applied Sciences: Participants will sketch and document biological mechanics. They will analyze the resource efficiency of local flora and the kinetic movement of local wildlife, documenting how biological systems adapt to their environments.
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Digital Design Sprints: Teams will return to their mobile workstations on-site. Using our iPad M5 Pros and the Procreate app, participants will translate their field sketches into digital artworks and blueprints. They will mock up their own biomimetic tech inventions, presenting how the natural designs they observed can be used to solve modern engineering or architectural problems.
Creative Technology Focus
Small, high-trust squads, fostering a supportive peer-to-peer technical learning community.
Available Tech Stack
- 1 x powerful computer to run multiple Minecraft servers
- 1 x Lenovo Legion 7i Pro Ultra 9 with RTX-5090
- 6 x spare laptops
- 3 x M5 Pro iPads with Procreate
- 3 x Meta Quest 3 headsets
- Desktop apps: Blender, Unreal Engine 5, Blockbench, VS Code, RealityScan, Lichtfeld Studio
- Web apps: GitHub, Google Cloud, Linear (project management), Replit
- Networking: Starlink and Peplink B1 5G router/Netgear Nighthawk M7 Ultra with Poynting XPOL-2 5G booster
Coast Tech Labs replaces outdated paradigms with industry-standard mentoring, creating a sensory-friendly, high-trust environment where autistic children and teens master professional creative technology tools.
Mission Overview
Executive Regulation
Deep focus on self-regulation, task initiation, and executive function integrated into the engineering project framework.
Autistic Space
Built exclusively for ASD kids and youth. You can genuinely be yourself.
Professional Practice
Bridge the gap between potential and professional with mentor-led system design and code reviews and real-world engineering constraints.
Register Your Interest For Sunshine Coast Spring 2026
Secure a spot in our industry-standard creative tech teams. Build skills in spatial computing and software deployment in a supportive environment tailored for your child's neurotype.