An iPad would help our girl to communicate
Reporter SMILING and giggling with her mum and dad, you’d never know how difficult Amélie Holden’s life can be.
The cheeky three-year-old was born with Global Developmental Delay and struggles to communicate her feelings to others, which can leave her very frustrated and upset.
Amélie is far behind her peers in meeting the usual milestones, is mostly non-verbal and has restricted mobility, meaning she is unable to crawl, walk or even feed herself.
She also has hearing loss and visual impairments but despite all of this, she remains undiagnosed.
Doctors have told mum Ros and dad Vinny that the difficulties Amélie faces are similar to those with cerebral palsy but they are hoping for a more definite answer soon. The family, of Woolsington, Newcastle, think that an iPad Pro will make a world of difference to their daughter’s life. The touch screen will be easy for Amélie to use and specialist apps will mean she can communicate with her parents better to tell them what she needs. Ros, 35, said: “At the moment we’re relying on her being happy for ‘yes’ and unhappy for ‘no.’ “It works when we just ask her if she wants something to eat or drink but if we don’t actually know what she wants, she can get very frustrated.”
The Sunshine Fund, which purchases specialist equipment for local children with disabilities, is hoping that it can provide Amélie with the much-needed iPad.
The charity has a month-long Go Bananas campaign every June and Amélie is just one of the many children chosen to benefit from this year’s donations.
Accountant Ros, who is currently on maternity leave following the birth of 10-month-old baby Freddy, said: “She gets very upset because she understands what we’re saying to her, she just can’t communicate. It will also mean we can Skype with my parents who live in Stoke-on-Trent. She loves seeing her grandma on the screen but phones can be quite small and she struggles visually, so an iPad would be ideal for her.
“She also likes art but things like a paintbrush are hard for her to hold. With an iPad she could create things with the touch screen.
“As it’s portable, we can carry it around with us when we are out which could help us quickly calm her if she becomes agitated.”