Liam’s story – A family experience with Early Start Australia

Moments before his son Liam puts his arm around his dad’s neck for some playful wresting, Casey describes him as a “bundle of energy” and “a complete ball of laughs.”

Liam’s full of life character made him an instant hit when he joined Early Start Australia.

The family, originally from New South Wales, relocated to Queensland and Liam has been attending sessions at Early Start for the past three years.

Moments before his son Liam puts his arm around his dad’s neck for some playful wresting, Casey describes him as a “bundle of energy” and “a complete ball of laughs.”

Liam’s full of life character made him an instant hit when he joined Early Start Australia.

The family, originally from New South Wales, relocated to Queensland and Liam has been attending sessions at Early Start for the past three years.

Read a full transcript of this video.

A national provider of therapy services for children and young people aged zero to 18, Early Start offers support in areas such as speech pathology, occupational therapy, psychology, and dietetics.

Their goal is to help children build skills and independence so they can thrive in everyday life.

From the beginning, Casey says the experience felt welcoming and easy.

“There's a lot of places we've been to that it's difficult to mesh. But with Early Start we just fit in straight away,” he says.

The family has been involved in both occupational therapy and speech services, and Casey highlights how smooth the process has been from the start.

One of the standout aspects for Casey has been the flexibility and support from the team.

With both parents working full-time and Liam attending school, scheduling could have been a challenge.

However, Casey says the admin staff and therapists have always been accommodating.

 “They've been very supportive in the sense of fitting in with our schedules,” he says.

Kyra, a team member at Early Start, explains how they work with children and families across a variety of settings, including clinics, homes, schools, and the community.

“We support them to build their skills and independence so they can get a lot of happiness and joy out of life, and reach their goals,” she says.

When Kyra met Liam she was immediately struck by his vibrant personality.

“He was such a character. He was a joy to work with, immediately open and friendly and we built our rapport around his interests, like The Wiggles and music.”

The relationship between the family and the Early Start team has grown into a strong partnership.

“We’re a team working together,” Kyra explains.

“Dad's the expert on Liam. I’m the expert in my field, and we get to join forces and work together to really support Liam and his goals.”

Casey sums it up simply: “The therapists here have always been really comfortable and easy to get along with. It's just an easy process.”