A little bit about my boy Max.. the funniest cutest and happiest little guy you could meet.. Max loves hugs , he is the most gentle and most effectionate little boy.
When Max was a little baby he reached all his milestones , could say words, follow instructions and really just loved having fun . He was and still is the most easy going little guy you could ever meet. He will never walk into a room without making someone smile.
When max was 2yr old he lost a lot of his skills and was later diagnosed with Autism and a sensory processing disorder. Max also lost all his words . Max is non verbal now which means max cannot communicate with words. This can be really hard for Max as he cannot tell us how he feels , what he would like, if his tummy is sore , if he needs some juice or just wants his mammy to come home from work. Max also was disgnosed with a sensory processing disorder which can make everyday life difficult for Max. ie the daylight can be too bright and may hurt his eyes, the noise of crowds can be too noisy and hurt his ears . I really am trying to explain what it is like to live with Autism in a simple way, but there is so much i can say.
Max is lucky, Max started a preschool for Autism called Hope which uses ABA .
As the prevalence of diagnosed autism increases, Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) has become the treatment of choice for many parents of children with ASD. Children with autism may have difficulty with speech and communication, and with understanding social interactions. Also there may be behavioural problems related to these difficulties. ABA treatment can improve the quality of life for a person with autism – and the family – by teaching speech or communication skills and helping them to get their needs met.
Since Max has started in Hope he has progressed so much and is amazing with his eye contact, great at communicating and starting to understand our language which is amazing to see.
The most important thing for Max right now is early intervention. With early intervention at such a young age Max has the best opportunity to learn all the skills a nuero typical child learns themselves. Max gets early intervention in Hope and also privately at home. This can change his life and maybe give him the opportunity to go to mainstream school with his peers.
Max needs Occupational Therapy to help him do things for himself like hold a spoon, take off his coat, feed himself etc... He also has low muscle tone and occupational therapy can help him build those muscles up that he needs even just to go for a short walk. We thank Hope for helping us so much and our family for supporting us. They make such a big differance to his life.
Max's Uncle Eamon Dolan has decided to take part in the Virgin London Marathon so that he can raise money and donate it to Hope and therapists that help Max build up on his skills. Please help us raise as much money as we can to show these amazing people how thankful we are to have them in Max's life and show them how much we appreciate everything they do for our beautiful Boy Max. The more funds we raise the more early intervention services can be provided. Please help make a differance to these childrens lives.
A special Thank you to The Patriots Inn for sponsering Eamon Dolan and supporting him and our Maxi moo.