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Ellen and Jo Abi will be speaking at this year ’ s Stronger Together Conference . by Lorna Gordon
Neurodiversity , which includes autism , ADHD , Dyslexia and OCD , is a subject that people are beginning to talk about more frequently , especially since increasing numbers of adults are being diagnosed with these neurological differences .
In our area the Stronger Together Foundation ( previously Fit Kidz Foundation ) is making huge inroads in helping families with neurodiverse children gain early support to make the transition to school easier , and at the helm of this amazing not for profit is it ’ s director , Ellen Witzlsperger .
Ellen ’ s interest in family dynamic and how the brain works began early when her parents separated and she wondered what made families different and how they worked . She took this interest and after high school decided to study to become an Educational and Developmental Psychologist at Western Sydney University .
When she graduated , she began working with Aspect Australia in the assessment and diagnostic service , assessing children , adolescents and adults for autism . She then moved to the early intervention team and on a project to design a facility in Rooty Hill specifically for the education of autistic people . From here her passion led her to become an area coordinator for South West Sydney , overseeing the teams for early intervention .
It was at this point Ellen met Melissa Scaife from Fit Kidz Early Learning Centres and they connected over a shared passion for helping families .
Mel asked Ellen to join the team to help them set up a not for profit to work with families on early intervention , however Ellen wasn ’ t sure it was the path she wanted to take .
“ Originally , I wasn ’ t sure about helping set up the foundation , but we went overseas on a holiday and the whole time we were away I couldn ’ t stop thinking about it . It was an opportunity to give something meaningful back to my community and it was hard to say no . Realising it would work for me professionally I took a leap of faith and nine years later here we are ,” Ellen said .
Ellen and Mel worked together to develop the Fit Kidz Foundation which was a huge success . Llast year they decided that the foundation needed its own identity , separate from the early childhood centres that Mel also ran , and so the decision was made for it to become a totally separate entity .
The foundation had grown to not only provide early intervention , but also the annual Stronger Together Conference for parents and carers of children with disabilities and other projects which had developed along the way . While this change separated the foundation from Fit Kidz , Ellen pointed out that in reality it was only a change of name and address ,
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6 ISSUE 108 // JUNE 2024 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HILLS INDEPENDENT