Brock’s Story

Brock’s Story - ADHD

Brock is a 12-year-old boy who loves mechanics, cars and his pet guinea pigs. His smile can, and often does, light up a room. This hasn’t always been the case though.

At 3 years old, Brock was diagnosed with ASD. As a toddler, Brock accessed therapy services through HCWA funding. He was able to enrol in a mainstream school and with a high level of support, he was doing well at school. He experienced sensory, social and emotional difficulties and continued to see speech and OT therapists to try to help him develop strategies to improve his regulation and communication.

At 8 years of age, Brock regressed and was also further diagnosed with ADHD, Major Depressive Mood Disorder and OCD. He was at risk of not being able to continue at his mainstream school as they had said they could no longer support his needs. He was engaging in serious self-harm and violent behaviours and it was very difficult for his family to safely take him out in the community. His regular therapies were not having any success in helping him.

The family was at breaking point. Brock could not be left alone in the home and his mother could not work as Brock was not able to attend school for extended periods of time. His older sister was suffering as a result of the extreme dysfunction that Brock was experiencing, she was often the target of his violent behaviours and was feeling excluded from her parents due to the constant attention that Brock required simply to keep him safe. The relationships within the family unit were under immense strain, it was an incredibly difficult time for the whole family.

In the effort to find some relief; Brock’s mum began to research alternative, evidence based therapies that would be able to help Brock overcome his severe emotional, behavioural and sensory dysregulation. She discovered the Brain Care clinic in Tweed Heads. After consulting with the Clinical Director at the clinic, Brock undertook an intensive therapy block at Brain Care.

Brock made significant progress after the first intensive block and as a result was able to continue at his school. There were still a multitude of concerns and Brock required further access to supports and therapies to continue to address the difficulties he was experiencing.
The financial cost to the family was something that stood in the way of Brock being able to continue accessing these life-changing therapies. However, in 2017 Brock was able to join the NDIS which allowed for him to continue accessing the clinic for further, much needed therapy.

In Brock’s NDIS planning meeting, Brock’s goals were to be able to access therapies and supports that would assist him in building his capacity to regulate his emotions, communicate, overcome anxiety and to relate better to changing circumstances.

Using his NDIS funding, Brock has continued to access therapy services at Brain Care.
Brock has had a number of assessments to show what areas of his brain were not functioning at their optimum. The results of these assessments and the goals set out in Brock’s NDIS plan then guided the clinicians to be able to set the therapy protocols and plans that are individualised and specific to Brock. The therapies used have helped minimise the effects of unhelpful brain patterns and to stimulate and shape the brain towards more desirable, more regulated performance. The therapy is fun and engaging and Brock really enjoys the experience. This is a huge relief!

In the time that Brock has been accessing the therapies at Brain Care there have been remarkable changes. Brock is no longer a violent child. He is better able to communicate his emotions in a way that is safe for himself and his family. He is less rigid in his thoughts and expectations. With support from his family Brock is able to implement strategies that help him to better manage his behavioural and emotional responses.

Brock’s family is repairing and healing. His relationship with his sister beginning to blossom. The family are confident that even though there are still some significant issues to address, that Brock will continue to improve and will, with the support of his therapists and the NDIS, continue to make positive gains towards his goals.

Brock’s journey is one of putting all the pieces of the puzzle together one by one. Incorporating emotional, behavioural, cognitive, neurological and sensory aspects so that we have a clearer map of where he is at and where we need to steer his future therapies and goals in order to gain optimum results for him.

Thanks to the ongoing support from the NDIS and Brock’s therapists, Brock has the opportunity to continue to develop appropriate and safe strategies that will help him to reach his goals, to become more independent and to participate in social activities with his peers and his family.