Autism, rethink what’s possible
5 January 2014
In January of 2014, our daughter, Anna, spent a month at the Blue Sky early intervention centre. Our family was based in Hong Kong at the time, so it was quite a big adjustment for Anna to make, but one we felt was going to be very worthwhile, having spent some time with Ruth previously.
In the run-up to Anna’s time there, it was clear how much time and thought is given over to making each child’s experience at the centre as positive and helpful as possible – Ruth and her team spent time understanding our objectives for Anna and then put together a timetable for her which focussed as much as possible on her development areas, whilst ensuring that she came into contact and spent time with peers that the Blue Sky team felt would be the best fit for her.
Right from the first day Anna spent at the centre, she and the family members who travelled with her were made to feel welcome and special; Anna immediately took to her “fun school”, and while the intensity of her timetable left her exhausted at the end of the day, she loved every minute of it. Her younger brother loved the centre, too, and was integrated into many of the sessions to foster and encourage appropriate inter-sibling interaction.
At the end of the month, we were seriously considering moving to Bridge of Allan, so fantastic was Anna’s experience, and the way in which she flourished during her time at Blue Sky. The ethos is so focussed on the individual needs of each child and that child’s family, rather than either wedded to one pedagogical philosophy or narrowly targeted at the child only. As parents of a daughter with special needs, we felt we got as much out of the month at Blue Sky as Anna did, both the reward of watching her respond so well to the therapy and the support and empathetic encouragement that we received every day.
Blue Sky is a truly remarkable place – full of hope, full of optimism, full of warmth and full of ambition for each child that sets foot inside the door. We have sought intervention and support for our daughter all over the world, Blue Sky stands head and shoulders above anything else we have found – what a vision Ruth has, and what a team she has helping her to bring it to fruition.
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London SW1V 2NY
Tel: 0207 821 1949
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