A REDDITCH family will finally have a sound night’s sleep thanks to a £7,000 helping hand from a children’s charity.
Shay Edwards-Taylor has autism and ADHD and can not be left alone at night because he has no concept of danger and is at risk of harming himself.
His parents Lisa and Jamie contacted the Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children, which kindly donated a specialist bed, worth £6,900, alongside £400 worth of specialist Play Therapy Pod toys.
The six-year-old does not speak and is not interested in traditional toys. Night time was a struggle for the family who had to stay with him at all times to keep him from jumping and climbing and hurting himself.
Jamie said: “Having the bed has had an impact on his ADHD as he is generally calmer and sleeping better.
“We are hoping it will help him concentrate more at school.
“The equipment from Newlife has transformed everything for us and we are feeling really positive after a difficult few years.
“The SafeSpace for Shay means we don’t have to keep going in to him as we know he’s okay, so we can get more sleep, which is helping us feel better too.”
Lisa added: “Shay doesn’t play with toys, just an iPad, but we wanted to help him play with something more interactive.
“There is a particular ball in there which you plug in and it lights up and he really likes that.
“Then his sister Lana got involved and they were playing together. They took turns and it was the first time they had played together like that.
“It was very emotional to watch.
“A few of the sensory toys were a big hit, but it’s not like you can just go to the shop and buy these toys, they are too expensive, so the Play Therapy Pods are just perfect.
“When it came it was like Christmas Day, designed just for him.”
