One of the families we work with has elected to have services provided by DWSP through the National Disability Insurance Scheme and here is their story:
This family initially came to us while their child (Zee) was undergoing an assessment for a diagnosis of Autism. At the same time, they were approached by the NDIA informing them of eligibility to access funds under the NDIS. The family informed me, their Speech Pathologist, of this and told me how confused they were about the whole process and what steps they needed to take to ensure that their child received the right supports she needed to get her ready to attend school next year.
We started out by discussing what therapy supports that Zee might need to help her reach her language and daily living goals. This included what kinds of therapy would benefit her (e.g. Music Therapy) and how frequently she would access the service. We collected the information and presented it neatly in a report that the family were then able to take to their Planning Meeting with the NDIA. The parent felt confident discussing and advocating for her child’s needs as the report clearly outlined what her child needed, why she needed it and how often. The parent reported that they felt at ease with the process and was impressed with how quick and straightforward it was due to the legwork DWSP had done beforehand to prepare for it.
Since receiving her NDIS funding, Zee has been coming to DWSP regularly where she sees a Speech Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Music Therapist and Psychologist. The frequency of sessions has meant that Zee is comfortable in the different rooms in the clinic, she happily attends the various sessions with her allocated therapist and now knows the expectation and routine each time she comes. It also means that having all Zee’s therapists under one roof allow us to discuss her progress and plan her therapy easily. Zee’s mother has reported that Zee is happy each time she knows she is coming to the clinic, and is learning to interact with different clinicians each time but she fared well due to the consistency of the clinic and our interactions with her.
There are various ways families can work with us and / other agencies under the NDIS. If your child is a recipient of the NDIS and you’d like to talk to us about ways we can help, please call us at 8376 6399.
Note:
- The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is funded by the Commonwealth Government.
- The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is the Commonwealth Government Agency that oversees the NDIS.