A Queenstown charity is launching a second funding round to help neurodivergent children obtain life-changing assessments and therapies.
Pivotal Point Charitable Trust last December distributed $15,000 amongst 14 youngsters, and now has another $15,000 to disburse.
It supports those with neurodiverse issues and learning difficulties such as dyslexia, ADHD and autism which are thought to affect about 20% of Kiwi kids.
Charity founder Lisa Leftley says they welcome applications from parents and guardians of local children, from five to 17, once they’ve accessed Pivotal Point’s free navigation service, which determines what support they need.
Funding comes from donations to the Pivotal Point Pledge and other fundraising.
That money in turn supports children who need specialist assessments, if they haven’t already been diagnosed, or ongoing therapies.
Leftley says both can be quite expensive, ‘‘so to be able to help whānau in this way is really important’’.
Neurodiversity, she points out, is a lifelong condition, ‘‘but when it’s not recognised and identified early on, children can really struggle, particularly within our education system’’.
The new funding round opens tomorrow and runs until 5pm on July 2 — visit pivotalpoint.org.nz and push the Pivotal Point Pledge button
to either donate or apply for funding.
