Sam’s story of NDIS support
Sam* is 2½ years old. Sam’s parents are worried about some of his behaviour at home and in public.
For example, Sam often gets very upset in the trolley at the supermarket if his mother touches him on the arm to stop him from grabbing things. He also gets upset at child care when other children or staff members touch or brush past him. In these situations, Sam hits and yells at people and tries to run away.
Sam’s parents take him to see their local GP for advice. Their GP recommends they make an appointment to meet with an early childhood partner.
When the early childhood partner meets with Sam’s parents, they talk about things like:
- what situations affect Sam’s behaviour
- how long the behaviour has been happening
- what Sam’s parents want to achieve.
Sam’s parents want Sam to be able to interact positively with other people. Sam’s behaviour is affecting their ability to leave the house, and they can see him withdrawing from other people.
Working together, Sam’s family and the early childhood partner discover that Sam is ultra-sensitive to light touch. They work out that if they hold Sam firmly or tell him when they’re going to touch him, his behaviour is much better.
At home, Sam’s parents start telling him when they’re going to pick him up and put him in his car seat before doing it.
The early childhood partner gets in touch with Sam’s child care centre and gives information to the staff. This helps the staff better understand Sam’s behaviour and what they can do to help him. This includes:
- talking to Sam before touching him
- recognising non-verbal cues that Sam is feeling overwhelmed.
Sam’s behaviour improves dramatically after a couple of supported sessions at home and the child care centre.
Sam and his family received a coordinated approach to early intervention. The early childhood partner provided some early support for Sam’s behaviour. The early childhood partner also organised support for Sam’s child care centre staff. Sam didn’t need longer-term support through the NDIS.
*This is not the child’s real name.