Four-year-old Addison Ramsden is the star of her Mother Goose playgroup – always ready to request her favourite songs and get the party started.

Her family has watched her grow into an increasingly happy, social and chatty little girl and this year they are pulling out all the stops to raise funds for NextSense.

20 October is Loud Shirt Day all over the nation. It’s all about wearing your wackiest shirt to celebrate, increase community awareness about hearing loss and raise critically important funds so children Like Addison can get the support they need.

Mum Alyssha says the family wants to raise awareness of the importance of early intervention and give back to NextSense for the ongoing support and language development they provide Addi.

For children with hearing loss, intervening early makes a big difference to their speech and language development long-term.

It’s vital that families are at the centre of services so they can navigate the system and have therapy tailored to their child’s individual needs.

'Finding out our child had a hearing loss was overwhelming for us,' says Alyssha.

'Her hearing aids were fitted at three months, and we are so grateful to have had NextSense support from the very start. Her NextSense speech therapist, Lauren, supports us in every way and has given us the tools we need to understand what Addison is facing and how to help her reach her full potential.'

NextSense therapies for Addison are focussed on growing her socialisation as well as her speaking and listening skills and singing has a special role to play in all of that, learning lots of songs and she just loves the NextSense ladies that run the group. The NextSense team just loves the way Addison keeps them on their toes.

Addison’s family in Melton is getting the local community involved in Loud Shirt Day every way they can through the local UFS Pharmacy. Funds raised will go towards providing critical early intervention and ongoing services for children who have hearing loss.