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It's incredible what stories the locals want to tell you when you move to a regional city.
I moved to Tamworth from Sydney in January and since then I've been getting to know the city in NSW's north east and have found locals are keen to tell me what's really important about Tamworth - or more accurately, what really important stuff is lacking here.
About a month ago, a desperate mother approached me. She wanted to tell me about her son Jacob.
Jacob is eight years old and has been diagnosed with autism, anxiety and intellectual delay.
His mother, Melissa Reinikka, told me he's falling behind in school.
Jacob was assessed last year as being eligible for a multicategory class - a class for children with autism, emotional disturbance and moderate to severe intellectual disability or physical disability. It's a smaller class where a teacher and support officer offer personalised learning and support for students.
Despite being eligible, he's been deferred for this class four times, and remains in a mainstream class.
And he's not alone. Jacob is one of 30 kids in Tamworth trying to get into a support class.
On this episode of the Voice of Real Australia podcast I talk to parents, educators, and an autistic woman to examine the unique challenges and benefits of being different in the bush.
It took Melissa years to get Jacob and her other child Alex diagnosed. She said the wait-list for a paediatrician in Tamworth is two years.
In my research for this story it seemed this was common across regional Australia.
It's harder to access health and support services for autistic and/or intellectually disabled kids in smaller communities than in the city.
According to ABS data, of the more than 30,000 kids with autism and related disorders in regional Australia, only 40 per cent attend a support class or special school.
I visited Melissa's place on a rainy Saturday, and met her two children Alex and Jacob, and her dogs Dobie and Demon.
Dobie and Demon made it clear they wanted to get in on the action - Demon barked and Dobie wouldn't leave Melissa's side.
Jacob came out to the porch where Melissa and I were chatting to see why Demon was barking - Jacob seems like a caring kid.
Melissa says she's frustrated and exhausted but she will keep fighting to get Jacob the support he need.
She just wants him to enjoy school, to enjoy learning.
Listen to the full story on the podcast. Search Voice of Real Australia on your podcast app.
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