Early Intervention Archives

Book your Speech Therapy appointment with Myhorizon

Since the introduction of the NDIS, various Allied Health services have been life changing for many participants, and in high demand both in the Redlands and great South East Qld region.

For participants based in the Redlands and looking for current vacancies with a trusted Allied Health service provider, Myhorizon offer Speech Therapy services to both children and adults, with a strong family and client centered approach, delivering a caring service that is of the highest quality and transparency.

Speech therapy can benefit both children and adults with support in areas of conversation skills, voice, speech or stuttering, reading and writing, eating and drinking, and using and understanding language.

Myhorizon resident Speech Pathologist, Caitlyn Leese is passionate about improving quality of life for her clients.
“I want to give my clients the ability to communicate by delivering programs and supports that are encouraging and fun.” Says Caitlyn.

To make an appointment with Caitlyn, contact us today.

NDIS funds speech therapy for Jemma

Many people may not know just how life changing speech therapy can be for someone with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder). Regular speech therapy can improve both verbal and non‐verbal communication, as well as social interaction skills – some of the things many people may take for granted.

For 13 year old Jemma Sims from Capalaba, holding a two way conversation with someone can be a daily challenge, and an area that she has been working on regularly with Speech Pathologist Caityln Leese from Myhorizon.

“I’ve been working with Jemma since the start of 2019 helping her to ‘connect the wires’ and join together elements of her communication and language. Many people may not realise that speech therapy covers more than just speech. It also involves communication, language, swallowing, fluency and many other aspects.” Says Caitlyn.

Jemma’s mother Coral‐Lee, has also seen a positive difference in such a short time. “She has been picking things up really quickly. Caitlyn seems to be filling in the blanks for Jemma. All of a sudden, stuff is making sense.” Says Coral‐Lee.

As a Speech Pathologist, Caitlyn’s philosophy is to make therapy fun and play based to engage with her clients. Thanks to the NDIS, more people can now access these allied health therapies as part of their individualised funding packages to support their goals.

“Before NDIS I couldn’t afford any therapy services. Jemma hasn’t had speech therapy for years, so the NDIS has been a blessing.” Says Coral‐Lee.

Click here to find out more about Myhorizon’s allied health therapies available to both children and adults, or connect with us via our online Contact Form.

“Fundraising is a community effort”

The team at Myhorizon’s Early Intervention Centre were thrilled to receive a $1500 donation this week, generously gifted from Rita’s Craft Cart proceeds.

Katie Marsden (second from left) of Myhorizon’s Early Intervention Service being presented with a cheque from Bea Waugh (far left), Lyn Vinson (second from right) and Rita Morris (far right).

Recent Redlands Senior Citizen of the Year winner, Rita Morris, runs her craft cart out of Myhorizon Centre in Capalaba, and relies heavily on the craft items donated by locals, to raise funds for children with disability.

“I am very grateful for the beautiful handmade craft items I regularly receive, which are very popular with my customers. Fundraising is a community effort which I couldn’t do without the generous craft donations” Says Rita.

Rita receives a variety of quality handmade items from supporters like Lyn Vinson who has been an avid contributor to Rita’s mission for many years now, even back when Rita was selling crafts from her corner stall on Cleveland’s Bloomfield St.

Bea Waugh from Birkdale, and her daughter Vicki who was born deaf and partially blind, also create and donate a variety of painted pots and tiled homewares, all available for sale through Rita’s Cart.

Myhorizon’s Early Intervention Practice Manager, Katie Marsden is grateful for the ongoing support from the Craft Cart and its regular supporters.

“The funds we’ve received from Rita’s Cart will enable us to provide extra therapies and supports to children with disability in the Redlands community, which many families cannot always afford.” Says Katie.

To donate your craft items, or make a purchase from Rita’s Craft Cart, visit Myhorizon Centre, Runnymede Rd, Capalaba, open 8.30am till 2pm Monday to Friday.

Click here to find our more on Myhorizon’s Early Intervention services, or send us an enquiry using our Contact Form.

A bright future for Jaxson

It’s often not an easy road finding the right supports or the right support team for a child with a disability.

Meet Jaxson, a happy go lucky five year old boy who loves to jump, run and climb and is happiest amongst his peers at his local mainstream kindergarten. Jaxson was diagnosed with ASD Level 3 (autistic spectrum disorder) when he was 2 years old, and since then has also been found to have sensory processing disorder, is non-verbal, and also has ADHD.

Jaxson’s mother, Sandra, speaks candidly about the roadblocks she and her partner have experienced the last few years with many mainstream services not meeting Jaxson’s needs.

“Being in a mainstream setting is where Jaxson is most happy however he wasn’t getting the support he needed and I felt lost and didn’t know where to turn. I heard about Myhorizon’s Early Intervention Services last year and decided to give them a call. After speaking to the team there, I finally felt like I found someone who could offer some understanding and options for the first time. I ended that call with tears of hope.” Said Sandra.

Myhorizon was able to provide a range of educational resources for Sandra and her family to learn about Jaxson’s diagnosis and possible treatments and therapies available. The Early Intervention team were then able to schedule time to observe Jaxson in his kindergarten environment and give feedback as to what best supports were needed for Jaxson in that setting.

“This was a game-changer for Jaxson and us as a family. It gave us hope and a path forward and options where we were at a point where we felt like we had no options.” Said Sandra.

Myhorizon’s Early Intervention team developed a tailored program for Jaxson which included an integrative support approach. Using a combination of therapies, Sandra quickly saw improvements and progress in Jaxson’s everyday skills.

“Jaxson is completely non-verbal but it doesn’t mean he isn’t vocal. Getting an appropriate communication pathway for Jaxson has been quite difficult, however working with the Therapists at Myhorizon has allowed Jaxson to trial a communication device where he can push buttons on a special device to speak to us, which is usually very expensive and out of reach for a lot of families so we’ve been extremely lucky. It’s been a huge thing for Jaxson as a person and the people trying to communicate with him. We are also currently trying to explore a further trial with an eye-gaze component just to see if that helps him communicate any better.” Said Sandra.

Sandra and her husband Lee, have also benefited from the MyTime Respite sessions held through Myhorizon where they’ve been able to meet and talk to other parents with similar experiences. “It’s so good just to have that support, someone to talk to, someone who knows and understands about your child’s disability. We went through a stage of being very alone and finding it very difficult to self-educate over Jaxson’s diagnosis and difficulties, and getting to meet other families. Not all kids have same disabilities and not all kids have same struggles with the same disabilities, but it’s been great meeting other families and other kids and it’s been great doing it in a supportive setting.”

Sandra has recently worked through the NDIS planning process with Myhorizon’s team and is awaiting Jaxson’s new package like many other participants, so Jaxson’s supports can continue. “I initially found the whole NDIS process confusing and overwhelming but the Early Intervention team at Myhorizon helped us through it all and made sure I had all the right information ready.

“Finding the Myhorizon Early Intervention team has been one of the main positives of our journey with Jaxson. It’s been the most helpful in a therapeutic and personal level too.” Said Sandra.

When asked what Sandra’s ultimate long-term goal is for Jaxson, she wants what any parent wants for their child,

“I’d love for things to be made more accessible in the community for Jaxson and other individuals like him. I want him to experience his educational journey with his peers. That’s where he’s happiest and thrives the most. And long-term, I want him to have the opportunity to live independently and have a job one day, whatever that may be.”

Click here to find out more about Myhorizon’s Early Intervention Services.

Traditional crafts supporting kids with disability

Traditional crafts from Rita’s cart at Myhorizon Capalaba are still proving a popular retail item with locals these days, and are funding new resources for kids with disability.

Rita Morris, a long-standing member of Myhorizon, still contributes her time and energy into the not-for-profit organisation where she has set up her own cart at the Community Centre on Runnymede Rd selling her crafty wares all for a good cause.

Rita has raised nearly $2000 just from her craft cart alone which was able to fund a new early childhood motor development program now used by Occupational Therapists at Myhorizon’s Ian McDougall Centre. The new tool allows therapists to provide both an in-depth assessment and training of gross and fine motor skills for children from birth to 5 years of age.

“This new resource not only gives our assessments more credibility for families to receive their NDIS funding, but also allows our therapy team a more consistent way of measuring a child’s developmental milestones and identifying the additional support and skills they may need”, says Ruby Ryan, an Occupational Therapist at Myhorizon.

Rita generously donates all her craft’s profits back to the Myhorizon’s Early Intervention programs to help kids with disability access important programs and resources, giving them more learning opportunities and supports they need to reach their potential.

“In the early days, there weren’t any programs around to support kids with a disability, but now there is more opportunity for children with a disability to get the support they need from services and programs like the ones offered by Myhorizon’s Early Intervention team” says Rita.

Rita speaks gratefully about Myhorizon for the support they have given her son Christopher over the years who has a disability, and wanted to return some of the support and generosity through fundraising from her crafts, kindly donated by herself and other members of the Redlands community.

“I’ll never be able to pay back Myhorizon for what they have done for Christopher over the years. This is my small way to give something back to the organisation”, says Rita.

You can find Rita’s Cart at Myhorizon Community Centre, Runnymede Rd, Capalaba, at the entrance to The Bush Pantry Café, where you can browse her selection of handmade items, novelties, and children’s clothing, open 8.30am till 2pm Monday to Friday. For more information on Myhorizon’s Early Intervention services, click here.

Ben making strides under the NDIS

With many participants awaiting the introduction of the NDIS from 1 July in south-east QLD, there are some already reaping the benefits of this new disability funding scheme.

Meet Ben, a playful and energetic 6 year old boy from Cornubia, just south of Brisbane. Ben was diagnosed with autism when he was two and a half years old. Originally from Bowen, a regional town in North Queensland, Ben’s family decided to move to Brisbane in early 2017 so they could access more supports and therapies needed not only for Ben, but for the entire family.

Ben is currently receiving funding under the NDIS which pays for his various therapies including occupational and speech therapies, an essential part of Ben’s weekly progress.

When speaking to Ben’s mother Kim, it’s immediately evident how passionate Kim is about getting the support and tools Ben needs.

“My biggest goal for Ben is to have him improve his communication skills, but also for him to ultimately be happy in his own skin, however that may look” says Kim.

Kim was referred to the Early Intervention Team at Myhorizon’s Ian McDougall Centre by a friend and hasn’t looked back.

“Coming to Myhorizon was the best thing I ever did. Geraldine, Kylee, and the staff have been wonderful. Myhorizon is more than just a centre, they actually care. There’s nothing that they won’t go out of their way to help me with” says Kim.

Myhorizon’s occupational therapist visits Ben’s regularly at his school to provide him with therapy in his own school environment. “This makes things so much easier for us” says Kim.

“It’s sometimes hard to know what is typical 6 year old behaviour, and what is autism. One day you’ll have a good day, and the next day may not be so good, but he is definitely making progress. He is becoming more social, more coordinated and generally more settled in his own skin” says Kim.

“Myhorizon even manage my NDIS funds for me. I give them the bill and they take care of it which takes a load off my shoulders because I don’t have to worry about invoices or people getting paid” Says Kim.

When asked what advice she would give someone currently working through their NDIS planning, Kim recommends that being specific with your requirements and being prepared is key for your NDIS meetings.

“Arm yourself with information and look to organisations like Myhorizon to walk you through what you need to do” says Kim.

For any NDIS advice or more information about our various services catering to all life stages from birth, right through to adulthood, contact Myhorizon on 07 3824 7007 or leave an email enquiry for us using the contact form on this website.

Myhorizon Wins Australia Day Award

The annual Redland City Australia Day Awards were held last night (Tuesday 23^rd January 2018) at Alexandra Hills Hotel where Myhorizon were honoured as winners of the ‘Community Organisation Award’.

Each year Redland City Council recognises residents and community organisations through these awards where they acknowledge members and organisations in our community who have made outstanding contributions to promote the welfare and wellbeing in the Redlands.

Myhorizon has been part of the Redlands Community since 1981 and today supports more than 2000 people with a disability, with a passionate and dedicated team of over 240 staff.

The prestigious award was graciously accepted by Myhorizon CEO, Joe Gamblin on behalf of the entire organisation.

“This award is a wonderful recognition of the leadership at Myhorizon over many years and the contribution made by all the staff. It is great for the organisation to be recognised in this way and it is a strong reflection of goodwill and acceptance of people with disability within the Redlands community.” said Joe.

Myhorizon sincerely thanks the Redlands community and all who took the time to nominate the organisation for these awards, and congratulate all the other worthy nominees and winners on the night.

(Photo: Myhorizon CEO, Joe Gamblin, and Redland City Mayor, Karen Williams)

Generous Contributions to Early Intervention

The humble story of how Myhorizon first began is an inspirational one, where a group of dedicated parents were united by a common purpose – creating a better life for people with disability through education, employment, and community connection opportunities.

One of those dedicated founding parents was Rita Morris who says that back in 1981, there weren’t any local groups in the Redlands who could provide the support and opportunities that she wanted for her son Christopher, and so decided that together with like-minded parents would create their own organisation.

Rita speaks gratefully about Myhorizon for the support they have given her son Christopher over the years and wanted to return some of the support and generosity. So earlier this year, the idea of ‘Rita’s cart’ was born. Having a space at the new Myhorizon Community Centre at Capalaba where Rita could sell her goods to patrons of the Bush Café, staff, and general public visiting the centre, meant that she could donate her profits back to the organisation, specifically to the Early Intervention programs offered at Myhorizon.

“I’ll never be able to pay back Myhorizon for what they have done for Christopher over the years. This is my small way to give something back to the organisation” said Rita.

The design and construction of Rita’s Cart was kindly built by the wonderful members of Alexandra Hills Men’s Shed, who donated their time and materials to build Rita a custom made cart to sell her treasures. When approached to take on this project, long-time Men’s Shed member Damian Malone, was more than happy to contribute with the help of his fellow members, as he had a personal connection to Myhorizon.

“I decided to take on this project at Myhorizon because they previously provided my son and my family with a lot of support and information we needed through their Baby Bridges program. We wanted to do something to give back.”

Myhorizon presented Alexandra Hills Men’s Shed with a certificate of appreciation recently for their kind contribution to the construction of the cart which they completed in June 2017. Since opening the cart, Rita has sold many handmade pieces and novelties and already raised $1000 to donate back to Myhorizon.

Rita’s generous ongoing donations to Myhorizon’s Early Intervention Service contributes to important programs for children with development delay or disability, giving them more learning opportunities and supports they need to reach their potential.

“In the early days, there weren’t any programs around to support kids who had a disability, but now with more funding and help available, there is more opportunity for children with a disability to get the support they need from programs like the ones offered by the Early Intervention team at Myhorizon” said Rita.

You can find Rita’s Cart at Myhorizon Community Centre, Runnymede Rd, Capalaba, where you can browse her selection of handmade items, novelties, and children’s clothing, open 8.30am till 4.30pm Monday to Friday.

(Photo: Alexandra Hills Men’s Shed members Damien Malone, Les Burrell, and Michael Gleeson accepting their Certificate of Appreciation from Myhorizon; and Manager of ‘Rita’s Cart’ – Rita Morris)

Fulfilling a Community Vision

Myhorizon proudly celebrates the official Grand Opening of their brand new purpose-built facility in the heart of Redland City.

From L-R: Raymond Walker; CEO of Myhorizon Joe Gamblin; Redland Council Mayor Karen Williams, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, the Governor of Queensland; Vice President of Myhorizon Louise Dudley with the official plaque presented to Myhorizon Community Centre.

It has been a rewarding journey for Myhorizon to proudly fulfil a community vision after many years, with the opening of their state-of-the-art Community Centre. The event was held on Friday 20 October 2017 at Capalaba, where His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, Governor of Queensland, officially opened the impressive new facility.

Redland City Council Mayor Karen Williams also attended and spoke at the event, and was joined by approximately 200 attendees including local council representatives, government members, and Myhorizon clients and staff.

The multi-million dollar flagship centre on Runnymede Road, next to Indigiscapes, boasts a range of high quality services and purpose built facilities, all designed to support the ongoing needs of people with disabilities in the local community.

CEO of Myhorizon, Joe Gamblin thanked those in the community that supported and contributed to the magnificent community facility, including Redland City Council, Ian McDougall Trust and Redland Foundation.

“What we’ve created has made a real difference to the lives of hundreds of people with disabilities. It has been so rewarding to be able to build on the hard work of our founders and grow the organisation to where it is today, supporting thousands of clients across the state, with the help of so many wonderful people. This ceremony is a wonderful celebration of this rich history and the important work Myhorizon undertakes in the local and wider community” said Mr Gamblin.

Mayor Karen Williams also spoke to the values shared between Myhorizon and Redland City Council. “The Myhorizon community centre shows just what can be achieved when the community comes together, shares a common vision, and gets down and makes it happen. It’s an important, productive and valued community asset and is a true reflection of Myhorizon’s commitment to continuing its important work in the region and council’s support of such services” said Mayor Williams.

Myhorizon employs over 240 passionate staff members across 11 different centres (located from Wynnum through to Tweed Heads). “Our amazing team actively works with 2000 people with disability, from the earliest stages of life through to adulthood” said Mr Gamblin.

Myhorizon’s specialty service areas include Support Coordination, Plan Management, Independent Living, Lifestyle services, Employment & Training and Social Enterprises, as well as Early Intervention services operating out of the new Ian McDougall Centre within the same new facility. This was named after the late Redlands philanthropist whose trust has supported a range of local causes. The Ian McDougall Trust made a $450,000 donation to the early Intervention Centre which is a fantastic place tailoring support to meet the needs of children with disability.

The new centre also doubles as an entertainment venue for public hire with modern event spaces and meeting rooms perfect for corporate meetings, community events, and weddings. The centre’s new cafe The Bush Pantry is open to general public and offers great coffee, refreshments and light snacks, and takes advantage of the picturesque surroundings of Redlands’ Botanical Gardens.

To speak to the friendly staff at Myhorizon and learn how our services can support you, call us on 1300 MYHORIZON today.

Gymzoonasium is coming to Capalaba

Myhorizon’s Early Intervention Team will deliver a unique Gymzoonasium physical activity program from next week.

Kylee Honeyman, Manager of Myhorizon’s Ian McDougall Centre, said Gymzoonasium was all about getting kids involved in physical activity that is fun and inclusive.

“The idea is for young children to learn about their bodies by engaging in animal inspired movement that encourages and builds core strength, flexibility, and coordination”.

The program is unique to the Redlands and offers participants a range of benefits including improvements in well-being and gross motor skills, balance, and social skills development.

Gymzoonasium is being offered on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:15pm at Myhorizon’s Ian McDougall Centre within its Capalaba service hub for a cost of $7 per session.

For more information or to register, please phone Myhorizon’s Early Intervention Team on 07 3824 7007.