WE had been looking at NAPA for a few years now. I heard about them via a post that went up on our page that helped us connect to other families who have undiagnosed children. This page was created before Victoria had a diagnosis of DOCC. We could not afford to attend NAPA at all, until the NDIS came in. We asked to have NAPA intensive therapy in Victoria’s plan, which got approved along with other things we requested.

Once Victoria got a confirmed place at NAPA, we organised the trip, my mum came with the kids and I to help out with Charlie while Victoria and I attended each day. I was a bit worried about keeping Victoria focused while we were there, but each session the therapists made it fun and they did an amazing job at keeping her on track and

getting her to complete each task that was set out for her.

Victoria was booked in for 4 hours a day Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech and Feeding. Feeding was included for the oral motor therapy that we had completed over in Florida with Ms Debra Beckman twice and found a huge improvement for Victoria, it also helped with speech development. We completed the paperwork before leaving to set up our goals and for NAPA to choose the best therapists for Victoria.

The day we arrived I was excited but very nervous. We were shown around, met a lot of different people in the centre, then started to work with our new team. They were going to make Victoria work like she had never worked before. We started each day with OT which was a lot of stretching, balance, working on strengthening the core to help with balance, stability and becoming independent. Victoria lacks the basic skills that we as typical developing people take for granted.Next hour was physio, this was to follow on from OT, learning new and different skills to work different muscles and areas to help continue with the same goals that had been set with OT and what we wanted to work on when we arrived. After 2 hours of working her body in new ways and doing new things that she has never completed, Victoria was starving! We had lunch break then returned for the next 2 hours of therapy.

After lunch was speech, we requested to work on prompt therapy, this was something we had done prior with Ms Beckman at oral motor and found that Victoria responded well. We went in with Victoria needing to sit and concentrate for an hour, they did an amazing job to keep her focus and made the session fun. Victoria has learnt new words and ways to say the words. Victoria has apraxia of speech, which means that she does not add the last syllable of words. This is something we still work on, but she is doing an amazing job.

For Victoria’s final hour each day, she got to have snack which is like going to a play centre with activities for her. This was her feeding session, where we worked on oral, motor and obstacle courses, getting Victoria to motor plan and move her legs, arms and body to complete these courses. It takes a lot of motor planning for Victoria to do things, even to step over things, she has to really focus and concentrate to complete this task.

Watching Victoria each and every day do each and every session, I was blown away with what she was able to complete. They pushed her in different ways to make sure she would do the tasks and we could all see the little goals that she completed. Even Victoria was excited every time we arrived at NAPA and happy to go in to start each day with the therapists. We are currently doing telehealth sessions with the NAPA therapist and they are helping us keep Victoria working on her goals. They have seen that we are still working hard on the goals we set and doing the home exercises that were given to us. We try to make them fun for Victoria to keep her enjoying them and we also have her little brother joining in to work with her.

Heidi.