BOWRAL parents Rob and Leanne Dole have renewed calls for volunteers to help with the intensive therapy that is helping to bring the world back to their autistic son Blake.

When Blake was first diagnosed as severely autistic, his parents were told that he would never communicate or learn.

With the help of the Son-Rise program over the past six years, Blake is now speaking and showing curiosity, and even teasing his little brother Bayley.

His autism was recently re-diagnosed as “severe to moderate” by the same doctor who diagnosed him six years ago.

Mrs Dole hopes that Blake will continue to progress to the point where he will be able to integrate into a local high school.

But this will depend on finding enough volunteers to help give Blake the intensive one-on-one therapy he needs.

The alternative is for the family to relocate to Sydney so that Blake can attend a specialised school.

“Blake needs to be somewhere he is going to progress,” Mrs Dole said. “He is getting more and more confident every day.

“You can see Blake’s mischievous eyes now. He wants to be a regular child.”

But a move would mean leaving the family’s support network of volunteers and friends and community groups such as Rainbow of the Southern Highlands, not to mention moving Bayley to a new school.

For the full story see the Southern Highland News, Wednesday, August 27

editorial.highlandnews@ruralpress.com