Carmen Pierracini, aka Dr Squeegie, shares with us how rewarding it is working with neurodiverse children and the relationship that develops between them and the Clowndoctors and in particular a young boy called Luca.
The schools of neurodivergent children and young adults that we visit as Clowndoctors are amazing places. Each one has a palpable energy that you can feel when you go inside.
Last week was Neurodiversity Celebration Week and I would like to celebrate a young person that we visit every Wednesday in Perth at Fairview School in Perth. We have seen Luca for nearly 4 months now and the journey he has taken us on and continues to do so is just so much fun!
Luca is 6 and has been diagnosed with Charge syndrome and ADHD. He was first referred to us as he has limited hearing and was about to get a hearing aid “switched on”. Staff wondered how he would cope with his new sense of hearing and wanted the Clowndoctors to offer support in learning about his new world of sound.
Through slowly introducing and playing with different sounds Luca taught us what he preferred. Dr Squeegie’s beat boxing was a no but a song we created from Luca’s own physical rhythm and using his name sung in harmony was a hit! In a session where he had his BAHA (hearing aid) in for a period of time we had been singing the Luca Song and he came up and held my hand and began to sway from side to side. After a short while a huge smile crossed his face as he made the connection that the music was going with him. I have never seen such a joyful expression. We continued to dance, really exploring the feeling of the sound and the movement. We then started to exaggerate it. Still holding hands, we made a bigger movement going outwards which in turn made coming back into the middle faster. This made him laugh each time we met in the middle. We continued this as it was so much fun. Each time Luca laughing as we met in the middle. The connection and celebration of the dance left us both on a happy high.
The children and young people I have had the privilege to play and connect with as a Clowndoctor has made my life a much richer and more interesting. In fact, without neurodiversity the world would be a very boring place indeed.
If you would like to support the Clowndoctors in the Classroom Programme and help them deliver more visits to children like Luca please DONATE HERE.
Thank You.
Images supplied by Fairview School.
