Tegan, I 100% Agree with Cailin get your name on the waiting lists.
I have had Kameron go through intensive speech therapy. Like you I knew he was slow and behind, but didn't realise how much till he started Kindergarten. He had very severe delays in both expressive and receptive language. i.e could not communicate with how he was feeling etc, and could not follow simple 2 or 3 instruction sentences. for example "can you get the bucket and put it next to the chair"
He had intensive speech therapy through his kindy which for us was free as it came from DECS. This lasted for 18mths, and to this day he still has follow up appointments with the DECS speech therapist at school.
Our kindy director advised us to get Lachlan on the waiting list for the public system, and like you I was like "yeah whatever" knowing there could be at least a 6mth wait or more to be seen. She kept stressing it every time I saw her and kept telling me it is very common for a younger sibling to follow in the older siblings footsteps cause they learn from them alot.
Lachlan has been seeing the public speech therapist now since 3rd term last year (aged 3.5 when started), and as from the next school term he will go under the DECS speech therapist through the Kindy. Lachlan at the same age talks and responds to instructions a hell of a lot better than Kameron ever did at the same age, but he still needs therapy in some areas. He has made huge improvements since therapy and I am pretty certain it has been the therapy that has helped, not just cause he has developed that much more iykwim
I saw our kindy director the other week (she is currently on maternity leave) and she said to me "how about Ashton (17mths like Charlie), have you got him on the waiting list" I said but he is only 17mths, surely they don't take them now I spoke to Lachlan's speech therapist last monday, and they definitely do take them at such a young age. The younger the better. Also the younger they are the quicker they will get through the waiting list because they get to teach them the right way from word go.
The therapist said to me what is Ashton saying. I said "ah, mum (rarely), dad, bub (rarely) and nan (rarely). She said "yep when you leave today put his name down for the list"
So I would strongly recommend getting both Lily and Charlies name down on the list. When Lily starts Kindergarten then I would be mentioning it to them as well, and they may have a system in place with speech therapists as well that you can utilise.
I hope this helps somewhat. I know how you must be feeling about it, I went through those same emotions.
Love
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