Program has amazing effect on children
Most parents would agree that a huge amount of time and effort is required to give a child the best start in life. This commitment is even greater for parents whose child has a disability. The Department of Communities gives these families a helping hand via a range of early childhood support services.
Family and Early Childhood Services (FECS) teams across the state support children aged up to six years who have significant developmental delay, and their families. Manager of professional and specialist services in the Fitzroy Cental West region Fiona Hurley says early intervention is vital.
"This is what makes the FECS program so effective. Working with children in the early years is beneficial in assisting them through the development stages," she says.
"FECS team members have skills specific to disability and they are very dedicated people, with a passion for making a difference in the lives of clients. They focus on empowering parents so they can promote their children's development in everyday activities."
Paula O'Brien of Rockhampton and her five-year-old daughter Sarah, who has autism, participate weekly in the FECS program. Over the past two years Sarah has received therapy services, including occupational therapy and psychology. Paula says the program has had a "tremendous impact" on her daughter.
"It's unbelievable. Since starting the program Sarah has been able to sit down and concentrate enough to be able to do her school work. She is more sociable, her speaking and comprehension have improved, and her ability to follow instructions is much more advanced than it was," Paula says.
"When we started she couldn't cope with being in the room with new people. Now she runs in and just loves all the activities which centre around what she likes to do such as matching games, painting and obstacle courses." Paula says "the staff are amazing" with what they come up with to help Sarah, such as teaching her to pick up things with tweezers to develop her fine motor skills. "She's not very good but she enjoys it," Paula says.
Paula and Sarah are also benefiting from the new, purpose-built premises in Rockhampton that include two therapy rooms, a viewing room and storage facility. "It's wonderful how the facilities are set out," Paula says. "When your child is in therapy in the viewing room you can hear and see what they are doing and can then take it on without interrupting the child. There is another room used for when I'm involved in the sessions which has activities on the wall and climbing equipment to help with Sarah's gross motor skills."
Additionally, in Rockhampton speech pathologists have been running the Hanen program as part of FECS, to teach parents how to encourage their children's communication development in everyday life.
"Parents have provided very positive feedback commenting that it has made a big difference to the quality of their interactions with their children," Fiona says. This feedback is reinforced by Paula. "The FECS program is not only teaching Sarah, but teaching us the skills too so we can take them home," Paula says.