Xander’s Path to Confidence and Connection
5-year-old Xander's parents engaged Everyday Independence for early childhood supports to help him overcome ...
Continue readingCaleb is an eight-year-old boy who lives at home with his mum, dad and two younger sisters. He enjoys spending time indoors, playing on his iPad and collecting Pokemon cards to play at school with his friends.
Caleb started his therapy journey with Everyday Independence in 2019, when he was four and initially supported by a Key Worker. Since turning eight, he’s transitioned from early childhood support services and has had telehealth services for speech therapy, positive behaviour support, and more recently physiotherapy. Physiotherapist Rian joined Caleb’s therapy team to support him to increase his physical activity and get more involved with his peers at school.
Rian discovered that Caleb loved running around with his peers and playing games at recess and lunch. However Caleb was less motivated when he got home from school, so Rian decided to challenge Caleb’s idea of physical activity and introduced games based on his interests, like using the PokemonGo gaming app to encourage walks.
Caleb’s family also enjoy going for walks and bike rides, so Rian applied to get Caleb an Assistive Technology bike. The bike completely changed the game! Previously, Caleb could only ride for about five minutes before feeling fatigued but now he can ride for 20-30 minutes, which means more family outings and happiness overall.
Caleb is now stepping it up and planning to go for bike rides with his friends!
Rian also worked with Caleb’s teachers to support him to engage more in the classroom. Prior to working with Rian, Caleb was seated separately from his peers, but now he’s now able to sit on the floor and be more involved in classroom activities.
When asked about his time with Caleb, Rian said, “I just felt so happy that Caleb can feel a sense of achievement – that he can engage and feel included alongside his peers. He’s a kid who has always struggled to keep up physically, so seeing him so confident and comfortable to seek out physical activity is such a win. Witnessing a whole family realise what’s possible and supporting them to pave the way towards that, is pure joy for me.”
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