Amani Ahmad

I am Amani and I have just turned 12 years old.  I have severe Autism, PICA (eating non edible items) , severe learning difficulties, anxiety, OCD, sensory processing difficulties and hypermobility.  I use an iPad to communicate my needs as I can't speak.  My mum supports me with my daily life. I am very obsessed with foods and recently gained a lot of weight and my parents want to make my home a safer place for my behaviour and help me gain the right facilities in my home. Where I can learn, play and learn functional living skills.  I have big dreams to build on my skills and I am a very talented mathematician.

Message from parents below.

We dream of giving Amani the best chance in life and an opportunity to  thrive and develop just like her peers. Amani is our youngest of four and we are dedicated to giving Amani the same opportunities as her siblings, which she deserves from us  After receiving her diagnosis at the age of 3 years, I learned that there was nothing available for my daughter’s needs through the NHS or the education system that meets her needs. Amani is now fiercely intelligent and highly motivated to achieve highly and wont let her disability get in the way but she needs a suitable environment enable to to do so. Amani has  a tailored teaching/treatment available for her and this includes occupational therapy and speech and language therapy daily. We decided for Amani when she was diagnosed at age of 3 years with Autism to have a very intensive teaching/treatment program to help her overcome her difficulties so she can one day lead a life of some independence and reach her best. Amani is fully home educated with her 1:1 tutors. 

She requires a suitable inside work room/play room/ sensory area (outbuilding )to learn and develop functional living skills. Amani requires a room away from the inside of the house as she can thrive and learn. She needs a differentiation from her learning environment compared to her home environment. This would help her reduce her food based behaviors and it would also give her a chance to have a place where she can almost call 'school' as like her peers have a separate place for learning and relaxing, this would help her feel more included than she currently is due to her schooling opportunities being limited as the schools in our area refused to take Amani in as a student due to her behaviors and disabilities. Currently her learning space is our dining room, she can have her home back. At the end of the school day she can return to the house which will feel more like home again. This will help reduce her behaviors and anxiety too, as the kitchen causes a great amount of behavior and meltdown due her food obsession. A garden that she can enjoy and use for physical exercise, so she can have the right balance of exercise, freedom to play.  We have an older garden which is currently not a safe place for Amani to use as it has been difficult to maintain over the years.  

Please  help Amani to have this vital life changing space. This truly will be a room with a view. We appreciate any support you can give in helping Amani to reach her dreams.