A BIG thank you to the Boshier Hinton Foundation!

Thanks to a very generous donation of a touch screen computer from the Boshier Hinton Foundation, a whole new world of opportunities has been opened up to the young people at the Together Trust’s Pendlebury House in Stockport.

Pendlebury House is a short break service for young people with autism aged between 11 and 17 years. Many of the young people who access the service have severe communication difficulties. They find it hard to verbally communicate their needs and wants. They can sometimes struggle to make sense out of verbal instructions and prefer to communicate through visual symbols.

Since receiving the computer at the beginning of October, the young people have already learnt how to access the internet with only minor staff input - something that they were previously unable to do, as they could not control the mouse and use the keyboard. Staff have also used the computer as an educational tool to tell Social Stories helping the children to develop a mental picture of everyday scenarios, for example crossing the road or being careful around strangers. The young people have also enjoyed watching films and accessing ‘YouTube’ on the computer to relax. Perhaps more importantly though, the touch screen computer allows the young people to communicate effectively with staff and their families, make their own choices, achieve independence and simply have fun.

The staff and young people at Pendlebury House would like to take this opportunity to thank the Boshier Hinton Foundation for their very generous donation.