Henshaws : Why We Do It - Ebonie’s Story
Ebonie is a student at Henshaws Specialist College. Here, her mum tells her story…
“Most of us as parents hope for the best for our children. We hope they'll do well at school, maybe stay on for sixth form, have a gap year volunteering and travelling before heading off to university.
Well Ebonie’s story is a little different. She did have a gap year, but only because her educational adult placement were unable to recruit the staff needed to support her safely there, meaning her mental health plummeted and her autism anxiety increased and she could barely leave her home. I approached the Arts and Crafts Centre for some therapeutic workshops for Ebonie and recruited friends and family to support her there. Ebonie blossomed and even volunteered on the entrance at the annual Beer festival, with a permanent smile on her face!
I knew from the very beginning that Henshaws Specialist College had the right staff to support Ebonie and as a family we feel very lucky to now have a place there. We needed a place that could offer 2:1 support, where staff were skilled in managing challenging behaviours, providing emotional support and life skills. I can't tell you all the new skills Ebonie has learnt! Her strawberry cheesecakes are the best, she swims up and down a swimming pool now, with NO floats, she's a natural at yoga and she's able to communicate her feelings now and has self-calming techniques. She even does our recycling at home and cleans & hoovers!
Ebonie is well on track to meeting all her learning goals and received 5 certificates at the end of her first year. Ebonie has new friends and her confidence continues to grow as well as her everyday skills to cope. In fact, she's so confident now she has the local karaoke pub all up on their feet dancing along to her solo performances! She's becoming a real member of the adult community locally and socialising more and more. Who wants to be ordinary when you can be extraordinary? Ebonie rocks her extra chromosome and defies the odds in managing her autism in public now – thank you Henshaws”.
