MEET DELANEY

Meet Delaney. Delaney is nearly six years old and is afflicted with a condition that is commonly described as Autistic Spectrum Disorder or ASD. Autism is a misunderstood condition and affects individuals in many different degrees. If you believe all the speculation about people through history then Autistic people have contributed considerably to the Human Race, people like Einstein, Socrates, Mozart, Beethoven, Alexander Graeme Bell, Henry Ford and Isaac Newton to name a few are all believed to have had some Autistic traits..

Delaney was diagnosed with Autism at 18 months of age and although there is no known cure for Autism it is widely accepted that early intervention is the one major treatment that is known to have some positive effect on children with this disorder. Through constant intervention from speech therapy to Occupational therapy, Delaney has had constant and intensive hands on therapy for the past four years. As a result of this hard work Delaney now attends a small mainstream Primary School in Northern New South Wales.

Everyone who meets Delaney are amazed by his intellect. Late last year a team of child Psychologists did an extensive study on Delaney and found him to be a child with an above average IQ. However because of his affliction Delaney needs constant one on one involvement with a support person in the classroom.

After a couple of meetings with members of the New South Wales Education Department it was decided that Delaney would get a total of $4500 in funding for the school year. The assessment was done by categorizing Delaney with a questionnaire where boxes are ticked from 1 to 5. Unfortunately in this assessment there wasn't anything that rated Delaney's potential.

For those who have met Delaney they can't dispute his likability, the kids at his school have welcomed him with open arms and they all look out for him in the playground, everyone loves his “big” personality.

In order to give Delaney the greatest start he needs constant one on one supervision to keep him “tuned in” to the classroom activities, unfortunately the current funding does not accommodate that need . As parents we have decided to hold a series of fund raising activities to raise enough money for Delaney to have a carer with him more than what has been allocated to him by the Education department. The first initiative being held will be a giant garage sale to be held as a series of auctions on ebay. Delaney has his own store set up called Del's Den(look out for it) We are asking for anyone who has any unwanted items to donate them to the Garage sale. All monies raised will be donated to his school for a full time carer for Delaney while he is in class and in the playground. We are also planning to hold ongoing auctions etc in the near future so if any companies out there have a product they wish to donate we would be extremely grateful.

We feel the more time that Delaney gets with a carer in the classroom is an investment in the future, giving Delaney a better chance of being an independent Adult and less of a burden on the national welfare system, and who knows what his contribution could be to society in the future.

All inquiries can be directed to Raeanne on 02 66 793 652 or 0404 240 263. or by email raeanne.e@bigpond.com

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