“He is a different child now and our lives are so much easier.”

Diana, a nurse at St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin is mum to 9-year-old, Raphael.  Raphael has been attending Sensational Kids for the past five years as he is on the Autism spectrum and needed help to self-regulate and communicate. Diana discovered Sensational Kids online and made an appointment to discuss Raphael’s needs. Diana and Raphael started attending Sensational Kids regularly for Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy and more recently Play Therapy.  Raphael soon flourished.

Diana learned tips and tools on how to pre-empt and manage situations where Raphael would feel overwhelmed. “Our therapists at Sensational Kids have taught me many things including how to use Raphael’s pressure points to help him calm down, if he was feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes even a hug at the right moment was all that was needed to help Raphael. Raphael used to break everything out of frustration, my wall, my phone, the DVD player, everything.  He is a different child now and our lives are so much easier.  We can go out.  It used to be impossible to get Raphael into the car but now he loves going on family outings. Raphael’s communication skills have also greatly improved. He now understands everything and has many words. We are currently working on his language structure.”

Diana would like to help other parents and children who are struggling due to ASD.  Diana says, “Get some expert help from therapists. It makes such a difference to your child and your own lives. I am so glad Raphael got the help he needed at Sensational Kids.”

Sensational Kids provides subsidised therapy services including Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy and Play Therapy in four locations across Ireland, in Kildare, West Cork, Mayo and Monaghan. It operates as a social enterprise meaning that all profits from its online “Play and Learn” Toy Store, as well as its parent and professional training workshops, are reinvested into the business to fund its overall aim of providing affordable and accessible therapies for children of all abilities.

Find out how about the services that can a make a difference for the child in your life