How you’re helping Gracen explore the world

Hello Sense supporters, my name is Elizabeth. My son, Gracen, is two years old, and he is already very funny, curious and even more mischievous, especially when it comes to food. He is such a foodie!

Strength from the start

Gracen was born premature at 28 weeks. At first, we were focused on getting Gracen to grow and breathe. He has chronic lung disease, and he has a hole in his heart. When he was in NICU (the hospital’s intensive care unit for newborn children), his lung collapsed, and he nearly didn’t make it.

But Gracen was a strong boy from day one.  

For a long time, we thought he was so premature that he would catch up as he grew. But as he got older, Gracen’s development didn’t grow with him, and then slowly, more and more conditions came to light.

We knew he had failed his hearing test, but we received no guidance on this. He had just turned one, and he still wasn’t sitting up or crawling. We began to worry and started to do some research on the support we could receive.

Coming to Sense

The first contact we had with Sense was with Sense Hub Loughborough. Gracen’s early years teacher suggested it might be a good thing to take Gracen to Sense for pre-school group sessions, because he doesn’t go to nursery, and I wanted to take him to more playgroups.

Gracen’s like a completely different person at Sense sessions than he is with a normal playgroup. He just seems more at home. It’s just more tailored to him. Gracen’s obsessed with textures, and he loves lights, so Sense staff always have loads of fun things waiting for him!

Elizabeth showing just how valuable our sessions are to disabled children with complex needs

The first thing we went to at Sense was a dance class, and Gracen felt so much more at home. Now we try to go to Sense Hub Loughborough every week. We love going to Sensory Explorers and Tac Pac.

At the moment, we go to Tac Pac every week. It’s a new session designed to teach communication through touch and music. It starts with lying yoga mats on the floor, and then they play a certain soundtrack for a certain item. It’s the same items each week; it never changes, so Gracen can understand what’s coming up next.

Your ongoing support

We went with Sense on a trip to the Space Centre, and Gracen absolutely loved it. There was a whole sensory room with lights on the floor, we wouldn’t have thought to have gone without Sense.

We go to a playgroup on Monday at our local church, and he’s a completely different child there than he is with Sense. He’s much more reserved, and the toys there don’t interest him.

Sense will be there for anything that comes along. I know Sense will be able to adapt and be there for him because the staff are amazing. If Sense weren’t around, we’d have a lot fewer groups to go to, and we would probably know a lot less. 

Milestone moments

We’ve been using Makaton for quite some time. His first Makaton sign was ‘more’, because he’s obsessed with food. He’s such a foodie. Gracen’s starting to tell us things, and he’s trying to communicate with us now. Not with his words, but more like cry or he’ll take us to things. 

He has also been walking for about four months now. It took him about a year to sit up and to crawl. He was so desperate to walk, and he finally did it. Now he’s climbing; he loves to climb on my tables. And he started waving. For so long, it felt like he couldn’t do much, but all of a sudden, he’s just started to do so much.

The support from Sense has definitely helped.

With Sense, if I need anything answered or have questions, they’re always there to help. And at Sense, Gracen has all this equipment that’s more tailored to him. He can just go there and be himself.

Gracen now

Gracen’s two now. He’s very funny, very curious and mischievous. He likes to get into everything and do everything he shouldn’t do. He’s obsessed with textures and wants to feel everything. His favourite toy is called Squiggly; it’s a sensory UFO kind of thing. It helps with his fine motor skills; you can pull it, and there are loads of textures. Gracen absolutely loves it; we have to take that everywhere with us.  

Looking back after nearly 3 years, I can’t believe how much he’s grown and how far he’s come.

My little preemie, who couldn’t even breathe for himself, is now walking and making progress every day!

His progress wouldn’t be where it is without Sense. Sense has done so much for him, and we’re forever grateful to you for helping him explore the world.