Aliya and Ibrahim’s Story

Aliya and her son Ibrahim live in Darlington. Ibrahim is ten and is on the pathway for an autism diagnosis. The process began four years ago. Unfortunately, there has been a long delay due to COVID-19 and delays with their local authority.

Aliya explains, “As the years have gone by, the traits of autism have become more apparent in Ibrahim. The way in which it shows most prominently is in his speech. If anyone was to speak with Ibrahim for the first time, they wouldn’t understand what he’s saying. Even as his mother I really have to tune in to understand. Most of our communication is non-verbal. Ibrahim is receiving support for this at the mainstream primary school with SEN (Special Education Needs) provision that he goes to. Ibrahim is also very prone to anxiety and avoidance.

“I’ve had to make some serious changes to my life. I was once in a very demanding job but there came a point when I realised that ‘good enough’ parenting just wasn’t working, and I became a full-time parent carer. I look after Ibrahim now and will do so until he’s at a level of semi-independence.”

Support through Family Fund’s Discover Digital sessions 

Family Fund granted Ibrahim an iPad and the family attended a creative workshop and a bespoke session during Family Fund’s Discover Digital Festival. Aliya says, “Family Fund granted Ibrahim an iPad. He loved the fact that it was a grant for him and something that was his own.

“The iPad has been great for Ibrahim’s self-esteem. Allowing him to use his own login and password has improved his confidence and feeling that he’s his own person. It’s also encouraged responsibility for something that is expensive.

“Ibrahim initially started using the iPad for entertainment but he’s now using it for his own creative pursuits. Ibrahim attended the Documentary Dynamos workshop at the Discover Digital Festival over the summer and learned how to create documentaries and movies.

“The workshop went through the features in iMovie. At the moment, Ibrahim’s aspiration is to become a YouTuber. The workshop showed Ibrahim the logistics of creating a video and uploading it which neither of us were aware of before. Those nuggets of skills that he learnt have proven to be very empowering for him. The workshop provided a bridge between Ibrahim wanting to do something and actually doing it.

“Additionally, I attended a one-to-one workshop focused on accessibility and online safety. Family Fund contacted me about the workshop after we received the tablet grant. It was a great opportunity to learn about the safety features included in the iPad software. Mainly parental controls and surveillance. The workshop was useful as it made me feel more confident with keeping Ibrahim safe online as he grows older.

Aliya adds, “I would definitely recommend the training to others and I’m so glad that I became aware of Family Fund. The workshop was pitched at just the right level for a child with additional needs. I can imagine that the workshop would have the potential to confuse the children, but it didn’t happen in that way. It was presented in just the right way for children like my son.”

A huge thank you to Stone Computers and Sync who supported the Festival. 

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