Kids Now Autumn 2023

kids now.

+JUNIOR SPORT

kids now.

It will come as no shock to any parent that raising a child takes a mountain of strength.

From the early days of sleepless nights and continuous crying, through to entering teenage years with a whirlwind of emotions reminiscent of the terrible twos, it’s up there with the hardest jobs in the world.

With challenge after challenge and endless surprises some good, some far from good rolling with the punches becomes human instinct.

Breeanna Poar and her partner Kyle Lines didn’t know just how much strength they possessed until their then one-year-old ball of sunshine Alexander was diagnosed with leukaemia.

Turn to page 3 to read about how the young parents have been navigating the health system and their son’s wellbeing with a wisdom and resilience well beyond their years.

Cassandra Godger never once imagined how much the All Abilities Playground in Shepparton would aid in transforming her three-yearold’s life.

See how much Dylan, who lives with spina bifida, has grown in leaps and bounds since using the playground on page 16.

Dylan’s story showed us the importance of harnessing all the region has to offer, no matter the needs of your child. To find sensory friendly activities across the Goulburn Valley check out page 10.

At Kids Now, we know what it’s like to feel out of the loop with the youth of today. Our correspondent has put together a thorough list of Gen Z lingo on page 9 to catch you up to speed and help decipher their language.

Students at Mooroopna Park Primary School also willingly allowed a sneak-peek into what kids are up to nowadays on page 12.

And of course, with parenting comes the bravery to face how your child is really feeling. After years in a pandemic the amount of young people experiencing anxiety has increased. Learn the signs on page 7.

As you will see in the following pages, there is power in showing that things aren’t always okay and some days can leave you feeling helpless.

But resilience spans far and wide across the Goulburn Valley and is often worn with a brave face and a smile.

Caitlyn Grant Editor

Cover: Alexander Poar. See page 3.

Photo: Megan Fisher.

Editorial Coordinator: Caitlyn Grant

Design: McPherson Media Group

Sub-editor: Sandy Lloyd.

Advertising: Shepparton News 5831 2312

Finding the way forward

EVERYDAY LIFE WAS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN FOR PARENTS BREEANNA POAR AND KYLE LINES WHEN THEIR SON ALEXANDER POAR WAS DIAGNOSED WITH LEUKAEMIA.

Alexander Poar holds his bunny above his head, eyes wide and a grin as big as the sky on his face.

With spiky hair and full cheeks, he jumps up and down, then drops his beloved bunny and starts jumping on a nearby couch.

He’s cute as a button and full of beans. Ten minutes later he’s running around in the fading summer sunshine, climbing between people’s legs and squealing in delight.

He’s exactly what you’d expect from a boy just shy of his third birthday, and if you ignore the tube taped to his cheek he’d be just like most other toddlers in Shepparton.

Alexander, his mum Breeanna Poar and dad Kyle Lines have had a more challenging 12 months

than most small children or their parents.

Alexander was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia some 12 months ago, after weeks and weeks of being “constantly sick” and told he just had viral infections caught at daycare.

Then, after the nosebleeds began and the fatigue set in, a GP told the family to take a trip to GV Health for blood tests.

The results turned their lives upside down.

“Within 24 hours of those tests we were on the way to Melbourne,” Breeanna said.

“We went down in the ambulance and my partner followed us down in the car.”

It was a scary and restless journey for Breeanna, who said her memory of the trip was “very long”.

“Alexander didn’t like getting in the ambulance to start with but fell asleep before we left Kialla,” she said. Suddenly, hospitals became a second home. Breeanna and Alexander didn’t leave their hospital room for a week.

Blood tests and machines which didn’t stop and a rotating case of nurses became the norm.

“Hospitals are a second home for him now, which is sad,” Breeanna said.

“You ask Alex if he wants to go to the hospital and he’ll say yes, so it’s just another thing for him.

“I hate hospitals. I think I hate them more now because I’m there so often.”

Alexander interrupts briefly, to hand his mum a leaf. She ruffles his hair, like parents do in the movies. He runs off again, giggling.

STORY: MAX STAINKAMPH. PHOTOGRAPHY: MEGAN FISHER

Breeanna Poar with her son Alexander.

“He doesn’t know any different from hospitals,” Breeanna said.

“When we go up for chemo days he has all his friends there and he tries to run around like this.” It’s hard watching him try to do that in hospital, and to think of all the chances he’s missed to run around at home in Shepparton.

The tubes and wires and permanent and semipermanent changes were challenges on top of parenting a toddler.

Breeanna and Kyle suddenly had to figure out how to make sure their 18-month-old didn’t tear tubes he “hated” out of his nose, make sure he took medicine on time and far, far more than most parents ever have thrown at them.

Now, he has a device in his chest, just under the skin, to help during the monthly trips to Melbourne for chemotherapy, which come on top of nightly oral chemo.

“It’s like a button which sits under the skin and is like an IV line but under the skin so you don’t worry about taking his tubes out,” Breanna said, looking down at Alexander, who had begun crawling through the legs of his mum, the photographer and the reporter, without a care in the world.

“It still hurts, but it’s less traumatising for him,” she said.

“Yay!” Alexander squealed, jumping up from hands and knees, oblivious to the conversation above him.

Breanna and Kyle have had to learn to be fulltime nurses and learn more about medicine than they’d ever imagined they would, to the point where instead of hearing test results are “good”, they need to know the figures.

How good? What’s the white blood cell count? The red blood cell count?

“I think once you become a parent of a kid with cancer, it’s just everything’s numbers,” she said. The process has been hard on the three of them.

“It’s been hard for Kyle because his family is riddled with cancer, when Alex was diagnosed it was a shock to him, and a lot to take in,” Breeanna said.

“We’ve managed. I don’t know how, but we’ve managed.”

If there was something she wished she’d known to do when Alexander was diagnosed, something she’d tell the next parents who find themselves in the unthinkable position she and Kyle did it’s to talk.

“Talk. Talk to everyone,” she said.

“I sat in the room the first week and didn’t leave. When I finally did, I started talking to a social worker and then other families who were on the ward.

“They’re similar families in similar situations so we have an understanding of what’s happening.

“It’s harder to explain to your friends and family.” The support was there friends, family and more all wrapped their arms around the three of them, but conveying the magnitude of upheaval in their world was difficult for Breeanna.

“I think a lot of them said ‘if you need anything, let me know’ but it’s harder to ask for help in that situation,” she said. Some of the best help they have received has come through organisations like Redkite and Challenge, which both support families of kids with cancer.

“They’ve got us art therapy, music therapy, massages for parents,” Breeanna said.

“They’ve organised zoo tickets for us. We’re heading away to a holiday house set up for people with medical needs next month.”

As for Alexander, at least 12 more months of treatment lie ahead.

Beyond that is murky, but the plan is for him to attend childcare next year — at a childcare centre, not at GV Health where he’s currently doing one day a month.

One day, he might be a mechanic like his dad.

Alongside the running and jumping and dancing, Alexander is happiest “working on cars with his dad”.

“We go down to the workshop and he’ll tell Alexander to go get a spanner and he’ll go get him a spanner,” Breeanna said.

“I got him some toy cars which come apart a little bit, you can take the wheels off, and he brings his cars out at home and pulls them apart.”

Breeanna looks across at Alexander, running back towards her without a care in the world, and smiles as wide as the sky.

“We’ve managed. I don’t know how, but we’ve managed.”

The kids are worried sick

KIDS NOW TALKS TO AN EXPERT ON DEFINING ANXIETY IN CHILDREN AND WAYS TO PUT THEIR MINDS AT EASE.

“Anxiety is like a smoke detector,” Robyn Hucker from Shepparton Headspace said.

“At the time it’s been set off, it’s unable to distinguish the difference between if it’s just the toast burning or if the house is on fire.”

According to the Shepparton Headspace centre manager and accredited mental health social worker, we’re seeing an increase in anxiousness among young people since the pandemic.

Parents can ask one question to distinguish whether their child is experiencing plain stress or anxiety: does the feeling interfere with my child’s schooling, socialising, activities or life in general?

Robyn said parents could notice a biological response.

“It’s common for a child to feel sick, maybe a pain in the stomach, as anxiety triggers stress hormones which impact the gut,” she said. Other physical symptoms may include increased heart rate, rapid breathing, shaking, sweating, feeling light-headed or interruptions to sleep.

Robyn said withdrawal or avoidance, particularly of new or unfamiliar activities, was another factor to consider.

“It could be not wanting to go to social events like birthday parties, disliking a change in events and not participating in activities they don’t feel capable or confident in.”

As parents, it’s important to be able to understand and respect the needs of an anxious child and support them through their feelings, without reinforcing the fears.

“Validation goes a long way to acknowledging the anxiety is a real feeling,” Robyn said. An example of this is if your child is worried about ‘show and tell’, as it involves talking in front of the class.

It’s essential to address a child in a calm manner. Begin by asking why they’re nervous, even if the child cannot answer. Validate and acknowledge it can be scary by saying, ‘I know it’s hard to talk in front of people’ and try to give your child an example of when you as a parent were anxious.

The most effective coping mechanism of anxiety is simple, breathing.

If that fails, encourage your child to drink a big glass of water, as they can’t breathe quickly while drinking.

Through honesty, communication and support, both parents and children can take control.

Online formats like eheadspace, Kids Helpline and The Brave Program are available for further information and strategies.

Robyn suggests taking slower and deeper breaths than normal, using the three seconds in and four out method.

In the good books

LIKE MOST CHILDREN, ASIM ISMET ENDURED HOME LEARNING IN THE TRENCHES OF COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS DURING 2020 AND 2021. NOW, HE’S A PUBLISHED AUTHOR SHARING HIS STORY WITH OTHER GREATER SHEPPARTON CHILDREN.

If Asim Ismet had been told 18 months ago what his future would hold, he wouldn’t have been able to picture it.

Jump forward to the present day and the Year 6 student is holding his very own picture book in his hands, establishing himself as a writer, illustrator and overall bright young talent.

After taking out the 2022 Greater Shepparton story writing competition for Year 5 and 6 students, Asim returned to Congupna Primary School to share his win with fellow students in the form of $100 worth of books for the school’s library — plus a copy of his own book to be included on the shelf.

Asim’s picture book titled What Is Your Superpower? takes the most recognisable characteristic of some furry and scaly friends and lets the reader imagine themselves with that power.

“The idea just came to me. It asks the reader things like, ‘Do you want to fly like a bird?’,” Asim said.

“They’re all my original illustrations too, which is crazy because I only started to get good at drawing this year [2022]; last year the best I could draw were stick-men.”

Mum Zamira was as proud as punch of her son and couldn’t wait to dash to the Shepparton Library to see 30 copies of Asim’s book on the shelves when they were released at the end of 2022.

“I couldn’t believe it, I was crying,” she said. “Especially given the COVID circumstances. It was hard with home learning, and I was worried back then being so long out of the classroom.

“But he’s just blown up with these ideas, and his teacher says he’s at a Year 9 spelling level, too.”

Asim’s reaction to all the praise was typical of a kid his age — a shy smile, a shake of the head and a soft remark about his mother.

“My mum’s telling me, ‘Be an author! Be an author!’,” he said. We couldn’t agree more.

Proud parents Faik and Zamira Ismet can’t believe their son is a published author.

What Is Your Superpower? is a picture book by Asim Ismet.

STORY: TAYLAH BAKER. PHOTOGRAPHY: MEGAN FISHER.

STORY: DJEMBE ARCHIBALD

Kids’ speak 101

DO YOUR CHILDREN USE WORDS YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND? FRET NOT. HERE’S A LIST OF SLANG TERMS AND THEIR DEFINITIONS.

Rizz

Think of it as ‘game’ or flirting ability. “That guy has rizz” is the same as “that guy has game”.

Slay

This is a standalone word and is very versatile — it can be in agreement, excitement or validation. Really anything positive. “You look so good! Slay!”

On God/No Cap

These mean the same thing. It’s a way of saying ‘I’m telling the truth’ or ‘whole-heartedly’. “I’m done with today, no cap” or “On god, I don’t know what you mean”.

Slaps/Goes hard/Bangs

Most often used positively regarding music. “This song slaps!” “That new song goes hard.”

Ship

It’s a pretty basic term for thinking that two people would work well in a relationship. “I ship them” or “You guys are so cute. I ship it.”

Stan

It originally came from an Eminem song, Stan , which was about a stalker-fan. It’s now more casual, meaning a really big fan of something or someone. “Their music is so good, I stan.”

W or L

A win or a loss, often paired with the word common to create the slang term ‘common L’ or ‘common W’. “That new song is a common Harry Styles W.”

Disc Golf

Stay calm and have fun

SHEPPARTON ART

MUSEUM

ALL ABILITIES PLAYGROUND

The name says it all. No matter what age or ability, this playground has something for everyone. The park features a variety of equipment for kids to climb, swing, slide and run around on. Don’t forget to pack a picnic lunch or help yourself to the barbecue facilities.

Tom Collins Dve, Shepparton

VILLAGE CINEMAS

Lights, camera, action! Village Cinemas is here to provide the entertainment. While parents take a seat, relax and enjoy the show, kids can marvel at the big screen and tuck into some popcorn. Be sure to check out the session times with films marked as SSF (Sensory Sensitive Films).

Stewart St, Shepparton

Whether you love to look at the masterpieces or create one yourself, the Shepparton Art Museum has it all. With its natural lighting and peaceful atmosphere, the museum caters to kids of all needs. There’s guided educational tours for your little learners or hands-on workshops

KYABRAM FAUNA PARK

Keen for an outdoor adventure? Why not try the Kyabram Fauna Park. Tour the natural bushland environment filled with all kinds of Australian wildlife. Slither on over to the reptile house, fly by the aviary or join the search for Echi the Echidna. Kangaroos, wallabies and emus can be spotted all around. How many will you find?

Lake Rd, Kyabram

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TRYING TO FIND PLAY ENVIRONMENTS WITHOUT ALL THE NOISE AND CHAOS CAN BE OVERWHELMING. LUCKILY, THERE’S A RANGE OF ATTRACTIONS THAT CATER TO

AND THEIR

STORY: TAYLAH BAKER.

Behind the masks

As babies grow into toddlers, they constantly soak in the world around them like little sponges trying to make sense of it all.

A big task for any child, but it gets even more complicated when that child begins to show autistic characteristics.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, autism was most prevalent among children aged five to 14 in 2015, reflecting the general increase in diagnosis for school-age children. However, Goulburn Valley Developmental Clinic psychologist Tracy Dunkley said parents with children as young as one year old can start to see signs.

“Diagnosis may be later, but the traditional early markers can often be identified at that age,” she said. “They could be children that don’t respond to their name, use less gestures and find it difficult to make eye contact.”

Using the ASDetect app can help parents tune in to these differences.

As children reach primary school age, signs of autism are identifiable through difficulties with social interaction and communication, and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behaviour.

As with typical developing children, differences in gender are also present.

Traditionally, girls are diagnosed much later as they generally develop better social skills than boys.

“Many girls don’t get diagnosed, or they may get diagnosed with other mental health conditions, like anxiety or dyslexia,” Tracy said.

“Parents can see they’re having difficulties, but it’s not identified as autism due to girls being much better at masking.

“Girls are often more interested than boys in trying to fit in they learn through observation

what they’re supposed to be like and learn to act that way in public.”

No matter the gender, Tracy reassured parents there was a lot of support and resources related to autism.

“The first step would be to consult a trusted healthcare professional,” she said.

“Speech or occupational therapy are amazing at providing play-based therapy for children and supporting parents to learn from their child and begin to advocate for their needs.”

Tracy is also running an online parent support and education group called Know to Grow Autism.

Whichever service is used, Tracy encouraged it to be centred on understanding for parents and children, with an emphasis on better coping and managing of neurodivergences.

FOR PARENTS CONCERNED THEIR CHILD MAY BE ON THE SPECTRUM, IT CAN BE DAUNTING. BUT WITH THE RIGHT SUPPORT, BOTH CHILDREN AND PARENTS CAN MAKE SENSE OF THE NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DIFFERENCES AND THRIVE.

Facing up to the big questions

What do you want to be when you’re older?

A KFC worker.

Who do you think would be a good prime minister?

My mum.

If you won a million dollars, what would you do with it?

I’d give it to my family and buy stuff for Tyler’s birthday. Tyler’s my brother.

Who do you think should be the prime minister? Lilly.

If you could invent a new toy, what would it be? A toy that loves you.

What do you want to be when you’re older? I want to work at McDonald’s.

What do you want to be when you’re older? A policeman, because they help catch thieves and robbers.

Who do you think would make a good prime minister?

My dad.

What should they teach in school, but don’t? Gaming.

CURRAWA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Lilly Gibson, 7

Harper Ballantyne, 7

Adam Mohd Azhar, 8

Denver Hanley-Stone, 8

If you won a million dollars, what would you do with it?

I’d probably share it with my family and buy some other things.

If you had to pick one food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Strawberries, because they’re yummy and juicy. What do you want to be when you’re older? A celebrity.

Ella Turvey, 8

What is your favourite thing to do at school? Play with my friends.

If you had to pick one food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be? Lollies.

What do you want to be when you’re older? A doctor.

Tyler Blake, 8

What is your favourite thing to do at school? Science. I’ve got a good teacher, Mr Jeffrey. What should they teach in school, but don’t? Different languages.

What do you want to be when you’re older? Archaeologist, because I like informative texts.

• Thanks to Mooroopna Park Primary School students.

Jump into these page-turners

KIDS NOW SAT DOWN WITH COLLINS BOOKSELLERS SHEPPARTON OWNER AND MANAGER HELEN SOFRA TO FIND OUT WHAT CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS SHOULD BE READING RIGHT NOW.

AGES 8-12 AGES 12-16

Australia’s Most Dangerous Animals

In Australia, it is important for children to learn about the wildlife we live with and what to do to stay safe while outside.

Helen recommends this factual book to help kids understand, appreciate and avoid Australia’s most dangerous animals. “A pictorial guide full of ferocious facts, true or false and did you know questions, enough to keep the most curious of kids busy for hours,” she said.

Solve Your Own Mystery: The Monster Maker

This monster-themed interactive book allows kids to create their own story and become a detective.

The book has several endings and plot lines for kids to follow.

“Can you solve the mystery? With lots of suspects and hundreds of endings to choose from there’ll always be a new mystery to solve,” Helen said.

Queenie in Seven Moves

This topical book opens up conversations about homelessness, courage and stepping outside your comfort zone, while also showing that home isn’t just a house. Queenie goes through loss, doubt and a pandemic but comes out the other side.

“This novel tackles the subject of homelessness in a sensitive and delicate manner,” Helen said.

Books up for grabs

You Don’t Know What War Is: The Diary of a Young Girl from Ukraine

This book chronicles Yeva’s experience during the 2022 war on Ukraine, detailing the hard truths that come with war.

“Yeva decided to write this diary as bombs rained down on Ukraine, partly to document her story and partly to distract her from the terrible truths of war,” Helen said.

The Lorikeet Tree Family, love and loss are the major themes in this book, exploring the effect of terminal illness on a family and the different coping mechanisms.

Paul Jennings discusses tough topics with a sensitive touch to create this moving novel.

“While this story tackles difficult topics of illness and loss it’s told in a sensitive way by the one and only Paul Jennings — a memorable novel with care at it’s heart,“ Helen said.

KIDS NOW HAS A COUPLE OF GORGEOUS CHILDREN’S BOOKS TO GIVE AWAY.

underwater acrobatics and spinning the quirky stories for which she’s known.

examines bravery and healing through the eyes of one of nature’s most beloved and charming animals.

wind, the people who have braved the highest mountain summits, and the stories told to explain the night’s dazzling stars.

Briarheart

For the fantasy lovers, this novel has sisterly love at its core but fantasy and action throughout to keep readers on their toes. The book showcases the importance of community and persistence in the face of resistance.

“An epic retelling of Sleeping Beauty, only this time she has an older sister training to protect her from the dark forces that would imprison her forever,” Helen said.

Odder by Katherine Applegate Odder the otter spends her days off the coast of central California,

practising her

She’s a fearless daredevil, curious to a fault. But when Odder comes face-to-face with a hungry great white shark, her life takes a dramatic turn, one that will challenge everything she believes about herself — and about the humans who hope to save her.

Inspired by a true story, this poignant and humorous tale

Suitable for readers aged eight-plus.

Odder by Katherine Applegate is published by Welbeck Publishing Group, RRP $24.99.

High by Jess McGeachin

What wonders are soaring far above our heads?

Come on a journey to meet the creatures who live high in the treetops, the birds that ride the

High is an illustrated non-fiction book that explores the natural world above and the efforts humans have made to venture high above the Earth, from early flying machines to modern skyscrapers.

Linking seemingly diverse subject matter, High invites the reader to explore the wonder of the universe.

Suitable for readers aged seven-plus.

High by Jess McGeachin is published by Welbeck Publishing Group, RRP $24.99.

WIN! WIN! WIN!

For a chance to win a copy of either book, email your name, address, daytime phone number and the book you’d like to win by Friday, April 14 to: competition@ countrynews.com.au

Please include ‘Kids Now competition’ in the subject line.

STORY: CALEB FRANCIS

Escape the vape

VAPING HAS BECOME COMMON AMONG OUR YOUTH, WITH KIDS AS YOUNG AS TEN

According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, in Australia, about 14 per cent of 12 to 17-year-olds have tried an e-cigarette.

Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia founder and director Paul Dillon said some kids begin experimenting with vapes around Year 8 and Year 9.

Due to the cost associated with vaping, it is rare to see younger children do it; however, it does happen.

“I’ve been contacted by primary schools,” Paul said.

What parents can do to prevent their children from vaping is discuss the potential risks associated with it. However, parents must be knowledgeable about vaping themselves.

“The most important thing is prevention, talk to kids as early as possible,” Paul said.

“If you see someone vaping in a movie or on the street, take the opportunity to talk to your children about it.

“Before you discuss this with your child, find as much information as possible.”

He also said young people tend to learn about vaping from older kids and families.

Of those who vaped, 63 per cent acquired the device from friends, eight per cent from siblings, seven per cent from parents and about 12 per cent purchased an e-cigarette themselves, according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

Paul said it was essential for parents who vape to be transparent with their children regarding the reason they’re doing it, such as to give up smoking cigarettes.

He also said if a young person wanted to experiment with anything, they’ll probably do it.

“If they want to, they’re going to.”

He highlighted it was crucial for parents to lay down their expectations.

“One thing that parents find hard to believe if you hand out your expectations, it’s very powerful.

For more information regarding vaping, visit: darta.net.au

A PIECE OF CAKE

“Never underestimate the power you have.”

YEARS OLD EXPERIMENTING WITH THE DEVICE.

Playing for keeps

THE SIMPLE JOY OF A TRIP TO A PLAYGROUND CAN SEEM IMPOSSIBLE FOR FAMILIES WITH DISABLED CHILDREN. SHEPPARTON’S ALL ABILITIES PLAYGROUND MAKES THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE.

On the edge of Shepparton’s Victoria Park Lake stands a playground.

Filled with all the classic favourites like monkey bars, slides, swings and a state-of-the-art jungle gym, this is a place for children all over the region to come and immerse themselves in a kingdom of fun.

To the regular person it appears to be your average run-of-the-mill playground, but when you take a closer look you will see the inclusive features that make it a godsend for so many families.

It’s the region’s only All Abilities playground, making it a haven for children with a disability.

One warm Wednesday morning in February, the playground is its usual hive of activity as kids run franticly from activity to activity and parents take in the serenity of the lakeside setting.

Among this hustle and bustle is three-year-old Dylan Godger.

With a grin spanning from ear to ear, he takes on the challenge of his favourite pieces of equipment, while his mother Cassandra watches on and offers her vocal support from a nearby bench.

For Cassandra, watching her son joyfully experience the fun of a playground was something she did not think was possible six months ago.

Dylan has a rare birth defect called spina bifida, which occurs when the spine and spinal cord does not form properly.

As a result he requires a brace to walk and becomes incredibly fatigued from everyday activities such as kindergarten, which he started attending this year.

Cassandra, who is a single mother of three children, explained the plethora of challenges her family has faced to get her son the help he needs.

“Fatigue is the biggest one,” she said.

“And then the second thing is the travel back and forth from Melbourne, now it is at least once a week but back when he was a baby it was three or four times.

“The expenses that come from that are huge, but you just have to go down there for the type of treatment he needs — we just don’t have the facilities up here to cater for Dylan’s needs.

“He has two older brothers as well, so having to fit that travel in around their school schedules, it is just not physically possibly, so we do get a lot of help from the community.”

But while there are a whole host of negatives that come with this situation, for Cassandra there is one shining ray of positivity that makes all the sacrifices worth it.

Over the past six months, Dylan’s development has progressed at a rapid rate, to the point where Cassandra said he was doing things she never thought possible.

“Dylan is a legend,” she said.

“When he was first born I thought he wouldn’t walk, he wouldn’t talk — so for the past two-and-

a-half years of his life we communicated through sign language.

“It has only been the last six months that he is talking now, he is walking around, socialising.

“I’m not stressing about him running off and playing because he has learned to mobilise himself and be safe.

“I thought he would be wheelchair-bound, so the recent strides he has made have been overwhelming to see and I’m very proud.” So what has been the secret behind this growth?

According to Cassandra, multiple trips to the All Abilities playground each week has transformed her child.

“The playground is very important for us, he just has so much energy to expel that he can’t do at home.

“So to come here and be able to enjoy a swing set that can support him and climb the monkey bars, it is great physiotherapy for his spine.

“It is basically a free gym here. He loves it and it makes my life easier as he is able to go out and use the equipment without my support.

“He is also a lot more independent. Even six months ago he would be attached to my leg, but now he is out there talking to the other kids and being social, which has helped with his transition into kinder.”

As a result of Dylan’s rapid development, Cassandra has been able to start thinking about an exciting future for her son, which involves starting school at the age of five.

“My biggest hope for Dyl is to slip into mainstream school like nothing is different and I feel like that is going to happen now.

“If you had asked me six months ago I wouldn’t have said that it is amazing how much things change in that time.

“My biggest goal is to get him through kinder, get him socialising and get him starting school in 2025.”

MOOROOPNA FOOTBALL NETBALL CLUB COME JOIN IN THE FUN AT THE CATTERY

Mooroopna Football Netball Club is a great environment whereby you can learn all about football and netball and have a great time doing it.

Footballers can go all the way from Prep Auskick through to Under 10s, 12s, 14s, 16s, through to the senior ranks, while the junior netballers can start at Net Set go through the grades to the GVL senior ranks as well.

Great facilities that include FOUR football ovals and first class netball courts. Easy parking, plenty of seating areas and protection from the elements if needed. Check us out.

For more information: www.mooroopnafnc.com.au

Cassandra says the All Abilities playground has transformed her child.

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$105 pp

Duration: 3.5 hours

Our Infant and Child first aid course is perfect if you are a parent, grandparent, carer, Aunt, Uncle or friend to a little one. Maybe you want to add “babysitting” to your resume? We all want to keep our tiny tots safe, and the best way to do this is by ensuring you have the right knowledge from the right people.

BOOK NOW:

Wednesday, 17th May @ 9am North Shepparton Community Centre

Classical Dance RAD

We offer classes for all levels in RAD Classical. The emphasis is on enjoyment and the classes are designed for participants to work at their own level within the group.

We offer a broad range of classes to suit

all ages!

Kinder Dance

A ballet orientated class focusing on basic technique and free movement. Used to introduce the basics of ballet while using imagination and imagery. Classes run for 30 minutes for both girls and boys aged 3+.

Classical Ballet

Technique classes are taught using the ACB (Russian) syllabi, RAD or ATOD. Classical ballet offers discipline, helps with co-ordination, musicality, strength, flexibility, poise and confidence. Classes for students aged 5+. Exams are available for students but are not compulsory.

Contemporary

Style of expressive dance that combines elements of ballet, modern dance, jazz, lyrical and free movement. These classes are offered to senior students.

Principal: Megan Lloyd 0401 963 344

Website: www.totalballet.net

Email: totalballet@bigpond.com

Jazz/Hip Hop

Dance routine to various pop/rock/ swing music including current radio hits, it is a lot faster moving then ballet. Classes are run for students from 5 years old to adults.

Dance Cirque + Little Monkeys

Skill based class focusing on Arial, Acrobatics and Juggling. Students progress through levels on Aerial Hoops (Lyra and Skills as well as tumbling. It focuses on strength, control and flexibility. All completed under the guidance of our fully trained staff. Ages 6+.

Little Monkeys is our pre-school class and focus’ on developing the fundamentals used in Dance Cirque.

FlexAbility

This class focuses on developing one’s level of flexibility and stretching. This helps with strength and participation in other dance classes. This class is for 11+.