He said he wanted all his hair cut off so that he wouldn't need it washed any more! I like his thinking! Life wasn't always like this, however. When his SR program started Raffy didn't drink and would only occasionally tolerate thickened fluid offered on a tiny teaspoon. He was in and out of hospital with dehydration, he would scream for up to 2 hours and was only repeating phrases that he had heard and mostly they had no funtional value. He was echolaic.
Now he is drinking water by himself and he is talking so much! He answers and asks questions. He asks us 'why?' to know about the outside world. He offers us his opinion. He is conversational and tells lots of incredibly fantastical stories. He is a very entertaining companion! He also uses gestures and is very expressive in face and tone.
At age 3.5 his eye contact was an occassional flicker from the corner of his eye. Now he is looking while he talks and referencing two people or more in a conversation.
He plays simple board games with his sister and parents and loves playing hide and seek.
His mum and dad are so grateful for the Son-Rise Program and to all the volunteers who have played with Raffy over the past 2.5 years.
He is still on his journey to develop his social and life skills but he has come such a long way. His parents want to carry on their training and to take Raffy to a 5 day Intensive to continue to help him progress.
Would you like to be a part of Raffy's incredible journey? Please donate any thing you can.
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