Our son was diagnosed with high functioning autism at the age of 4.5 years. Up until that point, we struggled to understand why our son did not respond to us in the way that our other children had done. His language was unintelligible which made it hard to decipher his needs causing distress for all concerned and he would not make eye contact with us. He also seemed distant with us and preferred to play on his own rather than with other children. In one way we felt relieved once his autism had been diagnosed. However, it was also distressing for us as parents to understand how we could make his life better and give him the same opportunities enjoyed by his neurotypical peers.
Fortunately, we were introduced to Dr Debora Elijah and have never looked back. We found her commitment and intensity of support to be exactly what our son needed. From the outset, we noticed positive and dramatic changes in his behaviour despite having only attended sessions for a couple of hours per week.
We will always remember the day that our son was taught the Makaton gesture which means ‘look at me’. For the first time, our son made eye contact with us and engaged in a short conversation. Later on he could say and gesture, ‘Mum, look at me’ or ‘Dad, look at me’. The experience was life-changing for us all. With Dr Elijah’s support, our son became instantly engaged and with each week that goes by, he develops more and more.
Things have now changed at a rapid rate for our son. He responds to his name, instructions and verbal cues in general. Similarly, he now likes to ask when, where, what, why and who and looks at things we point to which he did not do before. He also has much more of a succinct understanding of different emotions and facial expressions from sorrow and sadness to shock and joy. In addition, our son has also become more affectionate and comfortable with physical contact and is starting to enjoy ball games and activities which require some coordination.
Our son has just turned 5 years old and will be starting school in September. In just six months, his development has been immense and he is almost unrecognisable when we compare his behaviour now to his 4.5 year old self.
We still have a long journey ahead of us. However, we do consider ourselves to have been exceptionally lucky to have been introduced to Dr Elijah and witnessed such positive changes in our son. We highly recommend Dr Elijah’s Early Intervention Centre as well as her personal dedication, commitment and professionalism which has ensured the best possible start for our son.
