When Lily’s communication changed and she became less connected with the world around her at just two years old, her mum Jane had no idea where to turn for answers.
Thanks to your compassion, Lily is now playing, connecting and communicating in ways her family once struggled to imagine.
It wasn’t until Jane connected with our monthly community clinic in Louth, 50 kilometres from the family’s remote station, that the family began the journey towards a diagnosis of autism, and the support that would follow.
When Jane first attended the clinic, she connected with our doctors and Lesley Harvey, a Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Clinician and since then, Lily has attended monthly Play Therapy sessions with Lesley, and the change has been significant.
Where Lily’s play was once routine and repetitive, it is now imaginative and creative. Working alongside the family’s speech therapist, Lesley has also helped Lily find new ways to communicate and Lily can now express what she needs.
“The progress that Lily has made is so, so good,” Jane shared. “It’s now very imaginative where it wasn’t before.”
Lesley has been more than just a therapist for Lily, she’s been a steady support for Jane too, in a place where help is often hard to find. “I didn’t know Play Therapy was even a thing, but now I know it’s so valuable,” Jane said.
Lily is still building her sentences, and there’s more work ahead. But thanks to your caring heart, Lily and many other children in the bush can continue to receive consistent face-to-face Play Therapy, and there are more families who no longer feel alone.
