It’s All About Nick – A Place of His Own
When you have a child with a complex disability, through necessity they become the vortex of family life around which everything spins. To the outside observer this family’s life doesn’t seem very different but below the surface, collectively, every one’s legs are paddling hard to make the ordinary possible.
Nick has a diagnosis of Down syndrome and Autism and since he was a small boy has had inexhaustible reserves of energy. This often meant not a lot of sleep for his parents Robyn and Peter, and being the very last kid to leave the beach at sun down when his two tired siblings were ready to go home hours earlier.
As Nick got older, bigger and stronger his behaviour became more challenging and more complex. The strategy of channeling his energy into physical activities to manage his behaviour was no longer enough. Things got unpredictable. Nick was often overwhelmed if the home environment became too noisy or there was a change in routine. Home life was no longer manageable or safe for Nick and his family. The family ricocheted from crisis to crisis trying to find solutions day by day. In frustration his mum Robyn found herself asking the question “what is the blueprint for doing this?”
Robyn and her family in collaboration with Gateways nutted it out. And with the arrival of the NDIS in 2013 were able to plan longer term. Nick and his family’s relationship with Gateways began nearly 22 years ago, shortly after Nick’s diagnosis of Down syndrome as a baby. Nick and his family received Early Intervention Services through Gateways and later Nick joined Gateways first ever autism specific therapy playgroup.
Today Nick, a young man of 22, has moved out of the family home and has a place of his own thanks to a unique model his family explored and developed with Gateways’ Independent Living Services and Housing Choices Australia. Robyn says “the transition wasn’t easy but as Nick was not able be at home he’s now in the best place he could be. It’s also a huge relief knowing that Nick’s happiness and future living arrangements are secure.”
Five years on since the move, Nick and his family enjoy regularly getting together at Nick’s place. Nick is now calmer and happier because he has more personal space in a home modified to meet his needs and a team of professional support workers who extend him beyond what the family thought possible.
A special thanks to Robyn for sharing her family’s story.
Pictured: Nick at his place with his parents Robyn and Peter.
