Speech Pathology Week seeks to promote the speech pathology profession and the work done by Speech Pathologists with more than 1.1 million Australians who have a communication or swallowing disorder that impacts on their daily life.
Communication is a basic human right. In support of Speech Pathology Week we are sharing some of the stories of our families who are committed to accessing these life changing services, ensuring their children have every opportunity to live independent and connected lives.
Jimmy is six and has Autism and Congenital Cataracts (cloudiness or opacity of the eyes), Aphakia (absence of natural lens of the eye as a result of cataract surgery) and Intra Ocular Lens Implants, Nystagmus and Strabismus.
Evie, his four year old sister, has also been diagnosed with Autism. And whilst Jimmy is the conversationalist, Evie is learning to express herself through actions and play.
They live at home with their parents Kate and Paul and both children are embracing therapy services from VisAbility that are helping them to live happy and fulfilled lives.
Jimmy’s sessions are focusing on further supporting his conversation skills, including maintaining current conversational topic, asking and answering questions, making inferences, taking conversational turns, and speaking about a range of different topics based on Jimmy’s own interests and those of his communication partner.
In Evie’s sessions, the focus is on turning play into communication opportunities through imitating and adding a sequence to Evie’s play, modelling pretend play, intruding on play and modelling target words and waiting for imitation from Evie to extend interactions and encourage turn taking.
Recently – we spoke with Jimmy and Evie’s Mother Kate, about their journey as a family living with the unique challenges that Autism and Low Vision bring to day to day living.
What is special to you about the speech therapy your children do with VisAbility?
The relationships they have formed with their therapist.
Jimmy: I like bowling and I like the pirate. It’s a good thing to do games with Caris.
Tell us about your children’s communication needs.
Jimmy loves to talk, but can have difficulty in his conversational skills and some comprehension. Evie is still developing her speech, and uses very few words, opting to use actions instead.
How have speech pathology services helped with this?
Jimmy’s conversations have come a long way this year. He is taking turns, staying on topic and asking relevant questions. His comprehension & understanding has also improved over the year.
Evie has become more engaged in activities, using more eye contact and gestures. Her talking is slowly coming on little by little each day.
How does Jimmy’s vision impairment impact on his everyday life and how has speech therapy supported this?
We have found since Jimmy had his lens implant last year, his impairment has a much lesser impact in his life. He manages so well, we often forget he does have low vision.
What is your first memory related to Jimmy’s vision impairment?
The smiles we got when he wore his glasses for the first time.
What is the one thing you want people to know about living with vision impairment?
That with the right support at home and using therapies available your child can still lead a happy and fulfilling life.
Who inspires you most in life?
Jimmy has had so many hurdles since the day he was born. He has come such a long way and he always makes me want to give him the best, so he can be the best he can be.
Jimmy: My friends at school, and my Mummy and my Daddy make me want to try my best.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
I don’t think Jimmy would be where he is today without the support of VisAbility. We are very grateful to have access to services like these. Since Evie has been receiving speech therapy, slowly but surely we are getting progress each day with her communication.
We accept referrals from parents, teachers, medical specialists, allied health professionals and child health nurses. Contact us on 1800 847 466 1800 VISION (1800 847 466) 1800 847 466 1800 847 466 1800 847 466 1800 847 466and speak to our Children and Youth Services team to discuss your needs.