EVERYONE GETS CLOSE ATTENTION

Rachelle has Down Syndrome and spinal problems. Daniel has recently been diagnosed with myotonic dystrophy. They each spend around four hours a week at the Bethany Early Intervention Centre for children with developmental delay or intellectual disability.

Rachelle’s mother, Sandra, explains: “We specially moved to be close to Bethany. … It has everything – speech, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and sport.”

She says, of a new touch screen computer, “It is absolutely marvellous! Rachelle loves it. It repeats back to you what you say to it. If Rachelle gets something wrong, she then repeats it, trying to say it properly. I can see how it really helps her and I’m really grateful that she has this opportunity.”

Daniel’s mother, Julieanne, says: “He’s achieved more in seven months here than he has in his two days a week for a whole year at preschool. He comes home from Bethany and he tells us what he’s done. At preschool, he wouldn’t recall anything much.” She adds, “I think it’s the one-on-one thing at Bethany. They split up in small groups and everyone gets close attention.”

For both mothers, a big achievement has been the acceptance of their children into the Mater Dei ‘School Starters’ program which helps to integrate children into mainstream school gradually preparing them to attend a local primary school

The Bethany Centre at Mater Dei has been supported by United Way for several years. In 2007, United Way will be funding the Bethany Early Intervention Program which provides speech therapy to children with intellectual disabilities, so they can become confident, fulfilled members of society.

The CEO of Mater Dei, Frank Pitt, says: “Simply put, we could not offer this level of service to the children and their families without support from organisations like United Way. We are very grateful for the support that United Way give us and for the support of the people that they represent.”