Help Finnley grow in his communication!

Hello friends and family!

Our favorite guy, Finnley, is a super affectionate, orange-loving, spaghetti eating four and a half year old!

Finnley, who is non-verbal, recently received an autism diagnosis and continues to work with a speech therapist to help him communicate.

Right now he uses some signs and always tries to communicate with those around him but sometimes becomes frustrated when we don't quite know what he needs or wants.

We know his potential is huge and know that a communication device will open the world up to him in a new way.

Finnley lives in Scotland with his family but because they are not citizens, they don't have access to all the supports available there for kids with autism.

Any funds raised will be used towards an Ipad (with Apple Care & shatter-proof case) and a communication app that is used in the school system in Scotland. We also want to provide Finn with a second Ipad and case that will be used for his movies. One of the things we have learned about Finn is that certain movies and TV shows really regulate him and allow him to find peace in moments when he feels overwhelmed or overstimulated (he loves Monters Inc., Lion King, Ratatouille and Daniel Tiger). We feel it's important that he have the two devices so that the communication device will be available to him 24/7 whereas the entertainment device will be given to him at specific times.

Cassidy-Anne and Braden will receive training specific to the app and will work with Finn's nursery school so that everybody is on the same page in helping Finn find more success in his communication.

We also hope to be able to get him private swimming lessons, because Finn is very regulated when he's in the water. He has no fear and loves doing cannonballs! He currently swims with water wings but we feel like he's very ready to swim without them. Because of his specific challenges with his diagnosis and his communication, we feel that private swimming lessons are going to be most beneficial to him.

We thank you in advance for any contribution that you make towards supporting Finn and want you to know that some funds that come in will be used towards supporting Finn in Scotland with additional therapies, activities and sensory toys.

A mesaage from Finn's amazing parents:

'We have been learning and growing with Finnley after his Autism diagnosis these past few months! If you know Finn, you’ll know that he’s nonverbal and communicates through signs and gestures. He has always understood us well and has a strong idea of what he wants and what he loves but struggles to let us know his wants and needs in a way that can be understood. Our biggest struggle as Finn gets older is finding the best way to to give him a voice.

We, with the help of Finn's speech therapist, have been exploring AAC (augmentative/alternative communication programs). AAC allows a person to communicate with those around them without speaking. The most common AAC is high tech devices that allow a person to push a button to speak a message. This is what we wish to pursue for Finn through an iPad and a customizable language app. We believe that through practice this will transform Finns life and enable him to interact with the world around his as he grows!

The iPad and app are costly and in our current situation it would take us a long while to gather enough funds to give Finn something he needs and could benefit from right now. So we come to you, our family, friends and community, asking you to help us give Finn a more fulfilling life.'

Cassidy-Anne and Braden