In a small, low-ceilinged room with the cloying smell of bleach, dozens of children are being strapped to restraint boards. They are all between 10 and 12 years old, but many have only recently been referred to the centre for children and young people with autism. The children look at the floor as they are strapped in for a physical examination. The centre is run by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), with the assistance of Queensland Health, and was established in the 1980s. It was built on a small site in North Lakes in the northern suburbs of Brisbane. The site was built on previously state land, before the current lot was acquired by a private company in 2009. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 10 minutes 16 seconds 10 m The ABC's full story on the Northern Inland Autism Service In 2016, the program's lease expired and a new operator was found. A DHHS spokesperson said the new management team were "a professional, well-regarded organisation" that had agreed to stay on site, while still receiving payments. The service was also extended to young people who could no longer be in mainstream school. A spokesperson for Queensland Health said the program was not a part of the state's Special Education Programme, which provides school-aged special needs support and early intervention. However, that doesn't mean the program is unregulated. It says the centre is regulated under Queensland's Psychoactive Substances Act, and was one of only six registered sites in Queensland. There are few complaints against the centres, but three cases were recently closed with no action, and 14 had been investigated and closed with no action. The centre is not allowed to do anything that could harm the children or cause them distress, including restraint, holding for prolonged periods, or physical contact. The children's parents say the centre's methods are not working. "If I had known about these tactics back when they were happening to me, then perhaps I would have done something about it," one father said. "But I was a young boy and I was trying to cope with the situation as best I could, and the state stepped in. "I guess the state has only got worse. They're not making the progress they should be." Another father said: "When I talk about it, people think 'No, I'd never let my child go to an institution of any kind'." The parents of many children here believe their children's symptoms were caused by the conditions of life at the centre. 'Like being a guinea pig' A former resident says physical restraints were common when she was at the centre. ( ABC News: Lexy Hamilton-Smith ) As the children's parents wait outside, they pass time by watching a local woman on the grass. She is in a wheelchair. The children know what's about to happen to her. As they approach, they can see it is former resident Lisa Martin. She is lying in a hospital bed, but she's not sick. She is being observed as a guinea pig. Her mother has agreed to allow Lisa to be observed by a doctor who wants to test the effects of some medication on her brain. Her legs are strapped in to ensure she cannot move, but her mind is running wild. "I was in here for six weeks and when I say strapped, I mean every limb was strapped down," Lisa said. "I still had an hour or two to go and I was lying there, being watched by the doctors, because they were trying to come up with a new drug to put me on. "They knew they were hurting me, they knew I was being held against my will, but at the same time, I was a guinea pig. "We're not human. No one asked me if I wanted to be a guinea pig." The drugs have now been tested and Lisa is now able to be free of restraint. She said she knows the feeling of being a guinea pig will never leave her. "I feel like I am a guinea pig for the rest of my life," she said. "That will never leave me." Lisa's mother said the program caused her daughter to regress. "I am not talking about some old-fashioned treatment," she said. "This is torture. It is torture." The centre's website says that the program has helped hundreds of families. ( ABC News: Lexy Hamilton-Smith ) Lisa said she was told the program had saved her life, but she had never had a drug trial of any kind until she arrived at the centre. Since she left, she said her behaviour has stabilised and she is happy again. Her mother said she had no reason to doubt her daughter's story. "They said if it doesn't work, it's off to the boys' home. But I couldn't send Lisa to boys' home." 'Nothing you can't do at home' Lisa's father went to see Lisa while she was restrained in 2016. ( ABC News: Lexy Hamilton-Smith ) The centre is the only place in Queensland where all-male young people with autism can receive support. They come in for physical checks and to play video games with therapists, who try to teach them how to interact in the community. The program's website says that it also teaches social skills and communication, but it's very difficult to get accurate information about this from those who work there. The centre's executive director, Robbie Molesworth, said it had treated more than 800 boys in its 15 years. He said the program was a "really good fit" for children who would be stuck at home. "In effect, for the boys, what we're doing here is keeping them in touch with the community, but under our care and management," he said. "They're interacting with the local community members, the carers, the staff and also the therapists that help us. "If they were to be kept at home in an ordinary house, the community would be going through them. There's absolutely nothing you can't do here but provide a calm and secure space for them to interact." The program has also opened a transition school for younger boys who need more support than they get in mainstream school. This is where most of the young people who can't attend mainstream school are referred. One mother has sent two of her sons to the centre. "If you go here, I don't think you get proper treatment," she said. "It's all about hitting and kicking. There is no point for that. "If they get hit and kicked, then they don't know how to control themselves." An incident from three years ago was a turning point for staff at the centre. It involved a resident who was restrained in one of the treatment rooms. His mother recorded him on her mobile phone and released the video on social media. It shows the boy being struck repeatedly by one of the staff at the centre. He is strapped to a restraint chair. This prompted a police investigation, but no action was taken against staff. Molesworth said that incident had been "an important learning curve" for everyone involved in the centre. "It was hard to take that footage and make a decision not to make it public," he said. "The next day we put together a video on how things like this work … and that was not received well by some people, but I think that's a really important lesson for us all to learn from that, that a mistake can have very big consequences." New centre In November 2016, the DHHS published an order for a new facility for men with autism. The State Government said it was looking at developing facilities for men with autism in four locations across Queensland, after complaints from parents and calls for the facility to be shut down. "We are still working on the new site, and we will deliver on this new facility," the spokesperson said. "We will commence building the new facility this year." The DHHS says the facility is not a correctional centre, and that it is only used for short periods of time. It said the centre is not involved in any drug trials or the testing of new pharmaceutical products. "We will not tolerate anyone in the service who is unwilling to follow our policy," the spokesperson said. A DHHS spokesperson said the state's Public Advocate was currently conducting an investigation into the centre. Molesworth said he was unaware of the investigation. "My expectation would be that the Public Advocate will recommend that we are compliant with that law," he said.