I am a grandmother to a beautiful boy, aged nine, autistic and nonverbal. I get no assistance, other than The Crescent School, where he goes five days a week.
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Now, people are under some impression that there is all this funding and support out there. Well, I’m bursting that bubble.
The only help I can get for my boy is in Queanbeyan at a cost of over $1000 per time. My NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) ran out really quick. I had $13,000.
There is no one offering these services in Goulburn.
I have other family. I would like to go shopping, or out to dinner, or even a cuppa with a friend. But you are always busy with meetings that lead nowhere, or trying to get it all done before they get home to start again. You see, it’s like a two-year-old that doesn’t sleep and can be awake any hour with a noise. Then you find them naked at 1.30am on their trampoline because he found your new stash for the key!
Next time you see him or others out and about, don’t assume: offer help, if you can. It’s hard, but we love our kids, and where would they be without us!
Karen Roberts, Goulburn
