Mum Koral introduces us to her daughter Evangelina and explains why our Library Service has made such a difference to them.
Tell us all about Evangelina
Evangelina is 2 years old and started showing signs for ASD, ADHD and PICA at around 12 months of age. She started to regress around this time as well and things started to become very challenging for her on a social level. Things previously tolerated were now becoming distressing and causing meltdowns, such as loud noises, unfamiliar places and people.
Evangelina requires constant supervision. She has no danger awareness and is extremely impulsive. She climbs in excess and is constantly seeking sensory input and stimulation. Evangelina needs help regulating her emotions as she is unable to do this herself. She struggles socially, does not like loud noises, has sensory issues with food and difficulty sleeping. She also frequently attempts to eat inedible objects such as chalk, crayons and anything she finds on the floor.
As a family we have all found caring for Evangelina quite exhausting due to the fact she is constantly on the go and requires so much care and supervision on a daily basis. We share the care between myself (her mum), her dad and her grandmother.
How did we help?
Finding out about the services Cerebra offer has been amazing. I was signposted to the service by my scope advisor and I’m so glad that I registered to use the lending library to borrow sensory toys and books. Our first item we have borrowed is the UV Fun Tub. We actually had a UV party at 5am one morning because Eva decided that was a good time to start getting all the bits and bobs out of the bag to play (so we rolled with it!).
Evangelina has had a great time using the items within the kit and it’s been great to be able to test drive these items and see if they will benefit her before making a purchase for ourselves. Cerebra also have downloadable guides and offer other services which are really helpful.
Services such as the lending library offer families a chance to try out items that they may not be able to afford for themselves. They offer free delivery and returns to your home address and everything is made so simple. It’s a fantastic service and one that we will be utilising to enable us to try out lots of different items to see what helps Evangelina.
