Disability support specialist Melissa Slimming knows all too well the challenges and obstacles families with children who need extra help, have in navigating assistive services.
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Having worked outside of the area for some time, Ms Slimming has returned to her hometown in Sutherland Shire, where she has since noticed a shortage in resources to guide families.
Ms Slimming is the director and a behaviour support practitioner of 2include, which provides support to children with developmental needs, alongside their parents or carers.
Her focus is to build social connection - an essential skill for children to build self-esteem and friendship. Among the children she supports, are those who cannot go to regular holiday camps. Individualised support, such as taking children on outings to Symbio Wildlife Park and Audley national park, can also help give parents some reprieve.
In the aim of reducing behaviours of concern that cause families to be in crisis, Ms Slimming develops support plans for children, adults and also the elderly.
"Some of the families I have helped, have little to no relationships with their family members who are suffering from dementia or illness," she said. "Many are are children with severe and profound disabilities who are out of control - most commonly autism spectrum disorder.
"There are families in the shire struggling with their children and behavioural difficulties, and have not been able to get access to specialised intervention support and/or appropriate disability services," the registered NDIS provider said.
Ms Slimming said she noticed a disconnect between the school setting and education. "As a teacher you try to teach curriculum goals, but when we're talking about people with a disability, those goals aren't and should not be the focus," she said. "The focus should be building relationships, social skills and life skills. These lead to positive outcomes and happy families, where children are part of the community."
Particularly those on the spectrum, she said, were in more need of support. "We've had an increase of people being diagnosed with autism and ADHD," Ms Slimming said. "Not only children, but mums being diagnosed later in life. There's a big neuro-diverse big movement. Society at the moment, is not catered for people with those conditions, but we provide them with an environment they can access."
A new NDIS review is being lead by panel co-chairs Professor Bruce Bonyhady and Lisa Paul. A total of 4.4 million Australians live with disability and over half a million access the NDIS.
"Early intervention is important," Ms Slimming said. "With the NDIS review, it will be more successful in the long run and we will have people who don't need to go on the NIDS, but function in society as they are."
Details: info@2include.com.au
