itigo

Madmuvva, I will PM you. I am a dyslexia specialist (and teacher) working in Victoria and could have some names for you that could be of use. The provision in Victoria is sadly and infuriatingly lacking for dyslexia. Most SEN for that matter compared to the UK.

Margaret3

quick reply from me in Melbourne. I have always suspected summit with my 13 year old and basically was palmed off in Scotland and here in oz.

Anyway now she is 13, with teen problems things were becoming more difficult, so after asking a few questions and advice on here ... this is the story so far.

Went to g.p and explained issues, he asked to see my daughter..then he put her on a mental health plan, which (I think?) gives us 5 sessions with a psychologist, (initially you are linked to a psychologist for 1st session, but can change if it does not suit), we pay the session, then medicare reimburses us with most of it (we will only be outta pocket $40 bucks per session.). The psychologist recommended we contact school and ask for an educational assessment (daughter goes to public school), I wrote and posted this letter on Monday, on Tuesday the school telephoned me and told me they were going to do this (so not sure how long will have to wait) If this takes too long, then the psychologist recommended we go privately and have the educational assessment done at Monash Uni (so not sure how much that will cost).
One of the outcomes I am hoping for, will get a bit of extra help at school, we already pay for private tuition for maths and i cant afford any more.

MadMuvva

Thanks for replies guys - I really appreciate it. I just don't know what to do. Both diagnoses have come in the last week. My hubby supposed to be starting new job in NSW in couple of months but I can't put my kids in a situation where they get less help than here. They have suggested my daughter take strattera (atomoxetine). Would all this just transfer over to Oz or do you have to go through whole assessment thing again? Margaret - you say you are just $40 out of pocket. That's still a fair bit - do kids not get free medical care in Oz? I knew about Medicare but assumed kids costs would be paid. What about medication - do they have to pay for that too?

I don't even know what I can expect from the UK. According to Dyslexia Scotland it comes down to the individual school. So what with the cuts, not sure how much help he will get. I can pay for a tutor, at cost of £25-30 an hour, which I will pay for if it is going to help him.

I know dyslexia is not a mental health condition but it is a learning disability and disgraceful if these kids are being left on the scrapheap. This is what happened to my husband when he went to school in Australia. Sounds like nothing has changed. No one is going to put my boy in a special school.

If anyone has any more advice about this, would be so grateful.

quoll

Dont worry, your son wont be put in a special school - that is for kids who have an intellectual disability (if there are special schools and units in the area you are going to anyway, most of them closed with the advent of inclusive education) but neither will he get much, if any, additional support.

Your daughter will most likely be able to get medication but whether they put her on dexamphetamine or ritalin or something else other than Strattera (which will have to be prescribed by a paediatrician or psychiatrist and will cost you around $35 per month) is anybody's guess as she hasnt tried the "cheaper" options yet. Some GPs will bulk bill kids but specialists are usually full fee - around $100 - $150 per visit with some back from Medicare

Margaret3

The psychologist is 125 dollars per session, and we get $83 back in medicare. As far as am aware this is about as free as it gets for a psychologist for your child.

RedDragon2008

Worth adding that the way medicare works over here your % of rebate increases once you hit a annual threshold.

Sorry cannot remember what month it commences annual (think it might be jan to dec or july to june). After you spend around $1200 (and correct me if I'm wrong but that might be on a family basis) then you go up to something like 80% or 90% rebate. Thus the $83 will grow to $100+.

moneypenny20

Jan to Dec and it's per family.

Jaycee1

[QUOTE=Damson;10022652] Its where I work and I can't say online but could message you. My daughter went to Osborne Primary in Mt Martha 600+ kids and I would not touch it again with a barge pole! This is my opinion due to bullying and the headteacher being on the news stating that children 'cannot walk around in groups of more than 3' as gangs were bulling other children. There's no clear rules or boundaries. My daughter kept trying to tell the yard duty teacher about the bullying and was told 'stop tittle-tattling' well they got their tittle-tattling off me I tell you! As I said others might be happy but I was definately NOT!
See this: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/mor...-1225944087033
My advice would be to email the schools you are thinking of going to and see what there response is. If they are welcoming then go for it. Mt Martha Primary - I have heard VERY good reports from there and 3 of Osborne's teachers went to work there so it must be good!!
Also there is a school in Mornington on Tanti Estate - the estate doesn't have a good name but its nothing like the not good areas in the UK! Anyway it uses Steiner teaching methods (google it) and they have smaller classes and its a smaller school www.morningtonparkps.vic.edu.au/ might be worth a look.
Anything else just message me
J x

Margaret3

I have no idea what that means

moneypenny20

At the beginning of the year, you start spending on Medicare - prescriptions, GP appointments etc. If as a family you spend over the set threshhold (not sure if it's $1,200 or not), then when you get your refund from Medicare you get 80% for every refund until the clock gets reset at the end of December.

The last two years, we've gone over by June and so have got 80% back for six months. It pisses me off that we've had such medical issues we've hit the threshhold but it's good to the majority back. I had a private appointment with one of my consultants last November, I ended up being out of pocket about $10.

itigo

We got the letter that told us we were about to hit the threshold on the 23rd December last year!!!!

moneypenny20

Did you rush off to the doc as soon as possible? I've never had a letter, just been pleasantly surprised when I've gone to Medicare.

MadMuvva

Do you find that as you are paying (at least part of the costs) that you get seen quicker than you would on the NHS? Is there more choice?

Thanks

moneypenny20

It's impossible to say. You can only base your current experience on one you had for exactly the same issue who knows how many years previous in the UK. My family have had superb Medicare service for multiple serious problems but we never had anything wrong with us in the UK so I have no idea if the service we've had here is similar or not to the NHS. More choice of what?

MadMuvva

thanks.

As in choice of hospital, second opinions. Can you opt to go to another area if you can get seen quicker?