Success Stories

Priyantha (name changed) was eight years old when he came to us. Significantly affected by cerebral palsy, he had been in a special education unit in a government school but had no means of communication and even his parents thought he was not intelligent. We started him on our communication program based on whole word recognition. Today, he is able to communicate his needs and wants and hold a brief conversation as well as correctly answer most questions on academic lessons.

Ashika (name changed) came to us at 12 years as a hyperactive, severely autistic child. Her mother described her as insane (pissu) and revealed she thought we were crazy to think that her daughter was capable of communicating with words. She was disengaged from her family, would not make eye contact, and appeared completely in her own world. Within a couple of weeks, Ashika was communicating basic needs by pointing to whole words. Her hyperactivity has reduced remarkably and she is now a contributing member of her home and family unit.

Nirmal (name changed) was 2½ years old when he came to us, and spent the entire two our session screaming. The only use he had for a toy was to smash it. It took us many weeks to get through to him, when his mother/grandmother told us he loved water. We took a big basin of water near the gate of the center so the minute he entered he sat in the water and the two hours were spent initially playing in the water but not screaming. Every week we brought the basin closer and closer to the entrance of the center. He finally made it into the center. It took us many months to learn to relate to us and play with us. We taught him our communication system (FC) and, today, he works in class for the whole two hours, is engaged, responsive and productive and has started to develop speech. He is now 8 years old and is a contributing member of his family and occasionally makes drinks for his family and serves it.

Shalini (name changed) came to us when she was 12, she was diagnosed as a slow learner with autistic features. Her speech was extremely limited and didn’t seem relevant or on topic. We taught her age appropriate academics and helped her improve her language abilities. Now she is able to hold a conversation and provide her mother with a synopsis of the teledrama episode she just watched. She also wrote a children’s book titled ‘After the storm’ which was illustrated by Shiffani Refai and published by E.A.S.E. Foundation. All proceeds from sales go to Shalini and her family.