With the approaching state and federal budgets there is lots of talk that funding for the NDIS may be cut or delayed. The story of this little boy is just one example of why the NDIS is so important and needs to be done right.
The story of George and Kate
Last week I bumped into a former client. To protect his identity we will call him George, which is not his real name (but a popular one at the moment). I worked with George for a number of years and he became a favourite so I was delighted to catch up with him and his mum too. (Let’s call her Kate though that’s not her name either.) Kate was excited to tell me how well George was doing since I had last seen him around 18 months ago.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme has started in SA for children under six years and is rolling out in July for children up to 13 years. It is still all very new and NDIA staff, clients and service providers are all still very much in learning mode. During the last week we have had lots of talk about the NDIS and went to an update meeting on how things are progressing. As we talked about this I kept thinking back to George. I think George and Kate’s story is one of many thousands of stories that show why getting the NDIS right is so important.
I first met George around his second birthday. He had just been diagnosed with autism and developmental delay. He could not walk or talk. He did not know how to play or interact with others. He spent his time sliding around in circles on his bottom. He looked very much like a child who would grow up to need lots of support and would be likely to go to special school.
But George had two things working in his favour:
The first was a very determined mum. Kate was committed to help George be the very best he could be. She brought him to appointments regularly and put in lots of time and effort helping George to practice and develop his skills at home.
A determined mum is a powerful thing but no matter how determined you are raising a child with a disability is tough. Many studies show parents of children with disabilities put in many extra hours every day caring for their children and experience much higher levels of stress than parents of typical children.
Sometimes life gets in the way and Kate had a number of unexpected things happen over the years we worked together that had financial and other impacts that would have made it hard for her to access the regular therapy that George needed. That’s where the second important thing came in:
George was one of the early clients of the Helping Children with Autism (HCWA) package. This provided funds for regular speech and occupational therapy services as well as resources to support therapy which Kate would not have been able to access on her own and which would not have been available through the public system.
So with regular therapy and lots of support at home George’s skills gradually began to develop. He began to walk, talk, interact and play. His cheeky little personality gradually emerged and he developed a wicked sense of humour. He started mainstream school with language skills in the average range and changed to a new therapist within our practice who could see him regularly at school.
When I bumped into him the other day he had completed six terms at school and was beginning year one. Kate told me he had made some friends, written a procedure all by himself and was reading at his age level. He had his first spelling test and like many little boys forgot to tell his mum so he had not practiced his words but he still got lots of them right.
What we know about early intervention tells us that good early literacy skills mean likely success in later schooling and employment. Independence and reduced care needs for George mean a much reduced social, emotional and financial burden for his family, the community and the government both now and in the future.
George has now finished his HCWA funding as he is too old to be eligible. He has benefited very well from that support. Not all children will achieve this much but they all deserve the chance to be the best that they can be. I hope the new system will continue to benefit George and others like him now and in the future, for their sakes and for the sake of our community.
NDIA talks about helping disabled people reach their goals and aspirations. If they can do that we all benefit.
Do you think children like George deserve the support to be the best that they can be? Do you think mums like Kate deserve the support to do what we all want to do, help our children succeed in life as best they can? If so let your local state and federal members know as both state and federal budgets will have an impact on this program.
The federal minister who oversees the NDIA is the honorable Kevin Andrews. His email is menzies@aph.gov.au
If you live in the Playford area (Elizabeth/Munno Para) the honorable Jack Snelling is your local member and also the minister of health for SA. His email is minister.health@health.sa.gov.au
If you are in the Light region (Gawler/Barossa) Tony Piccolo is your state member and he is also the minister for disabilities His email is ministerpiccolo@sa.gov.au
You can find contact details for other politicians here: http://www.aph.gov.au/
Please have your say for all Australians with disabilities and let politicians know that this is important for all of us.
Jo Brenecki
for the
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