Here is a transcription of the live video streamed on facebook, when Lisa and Michelle were about to go into the Parliamentary inquiry into services for people with ASD in Victoria.

“Hi everyone. I’m Lisa from The Treehouse. Michelle and I are about to go into the City Hall and go live for the Parliamentary Inquiry into services for people with ASD in Victoria.

So I just want to give you a run down on what we are going to talk about.

From putting the question out on The Treehouse page to our families, the most common issues families wanted addressed is the lack of funding in mainstream schooling and teacher training.

The funding model is based on IQ level so a lot of our kids can’t access special schools or aids in the classrooms. A lot of our kids are going under the radar at school which is causing all types of issues from the need for home schooling, anxiety,falling behind in grades and school refusal. What I would love to see happen would be for the NDIS to allow therapy to be funded foe all people diagnosed with ASD, children with IQ higher then 70 diagnosed with ASD, to have support at Primary School and Secondary School and more funding to speed up the diagnosis process.

Services like The Treehouse in the community are so important for the growth of our children, but financial barriers means growing the support base required in the Geelong Region is a constant struggle. We understand the extreme loneliness, frustration, isolation that our families feel. Our group is unique as we are run by families living with Autism, for families living with Autism.

A huge thanks to everyone who has sent me their issues they would liek raised, their personal stories, and their overwhelming support.

We must go, wish us luck…”