AUTISM Is Australia on board?

[NowPerth]

Great to hear these stories mate. I guess that you're real proud. :yes:

 

OT but on the subject of books and UNI............my youngest son just asked for my visa to pay for 2 of his books online................$239! .............and that's only the start! :cry:

 

The uni has a used book store run by the guild. We got them for half price and they're in perfect condition (won't be for long once they're in my son's hands!). It's worth phoning and asking about. Get them second hand to start, then sell them back to the shop at the end of each year/course and you get most of your money back.

[Johndoe]

The uni has a used book store run by the guild. We got them for half price and they're in perfect condition (won't be for long once they're in my son's hands!). It's worth phoning and asking about. Get them second hand to start, then sell them back to the shop at the end of each year/course and you get most of your money back.

 

 

Thanks, but he knows about the used bookstore at his campus..................apparently it's a couple of "new editions" :wubclub: and of course, the older editions are "no use". I'll throttle 'im if I find out he could've managed with the used ones :laugh:

[TheClarkeFamily]

Its heading up to a year since I last logged in and posted. Our visa application was put on hold last April (our choice). This time last year we were waiting for a diagnosis on our daughter. She will be 4 in March this year and now has been diagnosed ASD. Her speech is starting to improve and she communicates mainly by signing for now (I am being sent on a signing course this month so I can keep up as I spend hours trying to google what shes saying!!). She has settled really well at nursery (mainstream school nursery) and has a TA funded by the disability services for part of her time there. Considering she can not say much at all she has ranked in top ten in her class of 34 kids for knowing her numbers and alphabet recently. Her behaviour is very good, we get tantrums like you do from any child her age but its very rare we get a "meltdown" and if we do, its over very quickly. We were told special school may put her on thier waiting list for a place there and they have (from what we are told she is a long way down the list mainly because they dont think she needs to go there at this current time, shes doing well in mainstream). Other than when she is excited (flappy when happy lol) nobody really notices her ASD side if you like. People that see her signing assume she is deaf (she isnt), others assume she is a quiet girl thats is perhaps "quirkly" . Last March we were having speech therapy for 1hr a week every week. Now we have 1 visit every 4-5 weeks. My daughter will start reception year in September and we asked for a statement to be put in place for her which is being done now. We have also moved back to the Midlands now to be nearer family and in all honesty had assumed moving to Australia was no longer an option, we thought we were done with the idea, that being nearer family would make us realise this is it for us. My brother and his wife (been in Perth 6yrs) were devestated that we said we were not pushing the visa forward and that "the dream was over" (we never got as far as medicals or anything, I think we needed to get the diagnosis for daughter, digest it a little and then became scared/nervous and undecided so we put it all on hold and I think talked ourselves in to thinking we were better off here).

 

I have no idea why I decided to log in here today and search the word "autism" which led me to this post. I have put all talk of visa's and Australia to the back of my head which is hard when I speak to my brother and his wife every other day. For whatever reason (maybe slightly lead by the fact I ended up watching Wanted Down Under revisited yesterday!!) I woke up today feeling unsettled having had a lovely dream about our 3 week holiday to Perth a few years ago and before I had even eaten breakfast my head was filled with questions ranging from "why are we giving up so easily" and "why dont we find out more, maybe we can still go" mixed with "how can i move my asd daughter away from family here to the other side of the world" and "she will be refused a visa wont she".

 

It has been lovely (and very teary) to read the above posts and to hear everyones stories. Whether we ever get a visa and move I dont know but I think maybe its time to decide whether the "dream" really is done or whether we are just telling ourselves its done incase we get hurt further down the line. Oh my poor husband is in for a night of what ifs and maybes lol

[TheClarkeFamily]

The other thing I wanted to know (if anyone knows) If you can prove you have a certain amount of money set aside in a bank account for your childs "additional needs" (therapy etc), does this make a difference on whether a permanent visa will be accepted?

[Sammy1]

Thanks, but he knows about the used bookstore at his campus..................apparently it's a couple of "new editions" :wubclub: and of course, the older editions are "no use". I'll throttle 'im if I find out he could've managed with the used ones :laugh:

 

 

I would say most of the time the old editions are more than perfectly adequate!!! A lot of the time there may just may be one new chapter, and the pages may be numbered differently - and that is that!!

 

I did post grad study and 95% of the books I bought were old editions. I bought them on Ebay and other like places for less than a third of the new price. When a new text costs $100.00, then that is a substantial saving.

[MrPea]

It is great to read these type of success stories. I have a 10 yr old son who was diagnosed as PDD NOS when he was 4 yrs old. We are in the process of applying now we are worried about our medical. Ever since in primary one(6 yrs old) he has been attending a mainstream school and he was not aided by anybody. He is now in Primary 5 and looks like any other kid in class. He still struggles with his attention and focus when the teacher is talking but he can answer math, english and sciench quizzes given to him. He has not been a nuisance in his class and school and his teachers and classmates like him a lot. I strongly believe he will not drain any taxpayer's money in Australia as he is not been under medication or needs help in going to school. I will just submit the diagnosis, letters from school and we plan to get him diagnosed again to submit the latest report to the medical doctor. After that there is nothing to do but Pray hard for the approval.

[Paul1Perth]

It is great to read these type of success stories. I have a 10 yr old son who was diagnosed as PDD NOS when he was 4 yrs old. We are in the process of applying now we are worried about our medical. Ever since in primary one(6 yrs old) he has been attending a mainstream school and he was not aided by anybody. He is now in Primary 5 and looks like any other kid in class. He still struggles with his attention and focus when the teacher is talking but he can answer math, english and sciench quizzes given to him. He has not been a nuisance in his class and school and his teachers and classmates like him a lot. I strongly believe he will not drain any taxpayer's money in Australia as he is not been under medication or needs help in going to school. I will just submit the diagnosis, letters from school and we plan to get him diagnosed again to submit the latest report to the medical doctor. After that there is nothing to do but Pray hard for the approval.

 

I really can't see your sons condition having an affect one way or the other. He sounds a lot more capable than my youngster and you might find he gets quite a bit of help if the diagnosis makes it through to the school he attends.

[Nelly 2903]

Has anyone? Or does anyone on here know of other British applicants who have applied via 186 (I'm on my 457 2 years) with a child that has Autism? My son has mild autism and we are expecting a letter from Case Officer shortly to confirm that we need to request a Health Waiver. I understand we can now obtain assistance from participating states (we are in WA). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Jjwclark]

Hi, my husband's company may move us to Perth in the next year (from US). We have a 9 year old son with asperger's/high functioning Autism. I am in need of information about private schools for autism or schools willing to take these kids on. Company will pay for private school, so cost not an issue. Any resources would be great, I just need a starting point.

 

jennifer

[Johndoe]

Hi, my husband's company may move us to Perth in the next year (from US). We have a 9 year old son with asperger's/high functioning Autism. I am in need of information about private schools for autism or schools willing to take these kids on. Company will pay for private school, so cost not an issue. Any resources would be great, I just need a starting point.

 

jennifer

 

Locating to where in Australia?

[Jjwclark]

Hi, my husband's company may move us to Perth in the next year (from US). We have a 9 year old son with asperger's/high functioning Autism. I am in need of information about private schools for autism or schools willing to take these kids on. Company will pay for private school, so cost not an issue. Any resources would be great, I just need a starting point.

 

jennifer

We would be moving to Perth, sorry I did not mention that.....

[Paul1Perth]

There is an autism WA website.

http://www.autism.org.au/

 

Would be a good place to have a look for info.

 

Good luck.

[andyking]

Hi. I'm new to this form and have read this thread with great interest.

 

We have submitted our visa application and after the medicals we received an email stating

 

"[my son's name] has been evaluated by a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth (MOC) and has been assessed as not meeting the health requirement for the grant of Skilled Nominated (Permanent) (class SN) Skilled - Nominated (subclass 190) visa.

 

The applicant is a 5 year old person with:

- Severe developmental delay.

..Developmental delay associated with Autism . This condition is likely to be Stable.

.

I consider that a hypothetical person with this disease or condition, at the same severity as

the applicant, would be likely to require health care or community services during the period

specified above.

These services would be likely to include:

Special education services

State disability services

Provision of these health care and/or community services would be likely to result in a

significant cost to the Australian community in the areas of health care and/or community

services"

 

Our son is non verbal and that we have received little or no support from the government since the diagnosis and what little help we have had has not been forthcoming nor of much use. The only thing we receive from the government is that our son goes to a non mainstream special autistic school.

 

As a result of this lack of support we have currently begun a course in Applied Behaviour Analysis which is privately funded. I earn a very good six figure wage so we can more than pay our own way.

 

I am wondering if anyone can provide advice on our case as they have given us 28 days to provide further information. I've seen that some people have recommended some companies such as Lewis Bollard Migration and we are just wondering what to do next.

 

This has caused us a great deal of stress as we have our heart set on this move and we simply don't see our son being a burden to the system as we receive nothing else other than him going to a non mainstream school. We are more than happy to pay our own way and we've seen our privately funded ABA program provide much more results than his state school.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

[LKC]

Hi, I am sorry that you have met with this obstacle. Did you use an agent for your application, and if so, was the possibility of your son's Autism being a problem mentioned? I don't have personal experience of this exact situation (our eldest was diagnosed with Asperger's when we were already PR, and her Autism is really mild so she attends a public school), but I have heard other people mention Peter Bollard in regards to complicated applications with regards to medical diagnoses, so it might be worth contacting him.

 

Good luck with it.

[andyking]

Hi and thanks for replyng. We didn't apply through and agent and went direct. I never imagined it'd be a problem as we receive so little help from the government here. What help we did receive wasn't beneficial which is why we are funding our son's development privately.

 

Yes I've seen Peter Bollard mentioned of (Bollard and Lewis I assume) and have seen them an email this evening.

[LKC]

I think as far as DIBP see things, if a child requires intervention (however much/little) then there is going to be a cost to the Australian tax payer, and if there is going to be a cost to the tax payer, then they have to refuse. I would definitely get Peter Bollard on to things. I have just searched for his name on the search function above, and he has definitely been recommended in this sort of case.

[Quoll]

Peter Bollard will give you good advice. Sorry that this has come as a shock to you - it has always been the case that if a person has a disability likely to cause the tax payer a significant cost then they will be rejected. It may well be that you can pay your way, but once in the country you may change your mind and start slugging the taxpayer - they choose not to take that risk. A non mainstream education placement is very expensive for the tax payer - $40kpa+ .

 

Good luck with the ABA I hope it works for your son, it's an incredibly expensive option.

Edited March 13, 2014 by Quoll

[samper]

Hi There,

 

One of my friend who is Australian Citizen have Artistic kid his kid and his wife on TR visa at the moment and his kid diagnosed autism his wife and kid both are onshore I want to know will his kid will get PR visa in Australia while his father is citizen.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Regards

Sameer