NDIS... Boy, what a journey! Plus, our therapist overview

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)  

What.  A.  Journey.

We began the submission process April 2018.  With assistance in what terminology was required, and all that jazz.

Which frustrated me to no end.  Anyone with a pair of eyes could see how much J needed help.  His brain wasn't going to spontaneously grow a corpus callosum.  His T8M is forever.  The paperwork process is trying, emotional and disheartening.

It was deficit based.  You have to talk SO negatively about your child.  I despise the review process each year and have deliberately stopped reading the reports because it is awful.

So, to all other NDIS parents of neurodivergent/disabled/challenged kids - I see and feel your pain.  I am sending you a tonne of love, patience and determination.  Keep fighting!

We got the access request approval letter 09/07/2018.  I cried my heart out opening that letter, I will never forget it.  Happy tears and so much relief.  Finally, we were going to be able to access quality therapy with consistence!

We have been through so many ECEI coordinators.  It feels like each plan review we meet a new one and have to re-hash everything, again...  From memory we were able to start accessing therapy in mid 2019, when J was in Preschool.

When J started Prep in 2020, with COVID also hitting - Whoa was that a "fun" challenge!  The NDIS didn't know which way was up so ended up increasing our funding so much that there was so way we could use it all.

When we did our most recent review, I also submitted an excel spreadsheet with the therapy required, number of appointments required and dollar amount - So that there was a very clear document outlining everything.  

We have had consistent Speech and Language pathology, Occupational Therapy, Occupational Therapy Assistant and Executive Functioning Therapy through LL.  There literally are no words to describe my unwavering gratitude for each of the professionals that have assisted J in this journey.  As well as the recommendations from other parents to employ these therapists.  I have also found that employing people that work for themselves to be far better than employing through a company with many therapists, as the turnover rate was quite high.  You'd finally see your child build a rapport and bond with someone, for them to leave.  It was frustrating, to put it mildly.  This is our personal experience though.