Michael is a special kid. He was always sensitive and loving but he couldn’t communicate. Michael lived with his grandmother during the week and I picked him up every Friday to spend the weekends together. I had to keep him apart from the other kids as much as possible because he was so sensitive. The sound of children playing or talking caused him terrible physical pain!
When Michael was two years old, I enrolled him at the Perach Israel day care center in our community. The staff showed incredible patience with him. Over the year, they slowly and methodically got him used to all types of noises, voices and sounds. By the end of the year, Michael was comfortable being around other kids and adults, but he was still not communicative.
The following year, Michael ‘graduated’ daycare and started a Perach preschool. One day his teacher Sarah noticed that Michael was looking at books. He moved his finger along the line of the text and she suspected that he could read.
Shortly thereafter, I sent a video from home (Perach loves to see our kids in their home environment) showing Michael touching a colored shape with embedded words on a floor mat. Sarah suggested I ask Michael to point to the letters next time. So that’s what I did, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. Michael knew the alphabet!
Sarah jumped on the opportunity and started teaching Michael to read. Soon enough he could point to words, then short phrases, and now he reads entire books.
Once he could read, the staff channeled Michael’s newfound ability towards communication. He answered questions and typed short phrases on the iPad and computer. Communication started to flow.
Today, thanks to endless dedication, encouragement, and Michael’s new typing skills, he now talks – using his own voice.
The Perach team is amazing. They never give up on any child. Never.
