By VANESSA VALENZUELA
BRENDAN Constantinou is looking forward to a very merry Christmas this December after he was given a special gift from Variety – The Children’s Charity.
The eight-year-old from Delahey was overwhelmed when the charity presented him with a new iPad at the Sunshine Special Developmental School last Monday.
Brendan was diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome, a genetic disorder and intellectual disability that affects speech and behaviour.
His mother Dianne Wartak hoped the new Christmas gift will encourage Brendan to communicate his expressions and assist with his learning at home.
“He was really happy with it, and because they already use them at school, we told him that this one was his,” Ms Wartak said.
“He can now play with it and download talking programs which can teach him to speak better.”
Ms Wartak said it was often difficult to keep Brendan amused during the school holidays because he enjoys following a routine and keeping busy during the day.
“Over the Christmas holidays he gets lost a bit and doesn’t like the fact that he’s home every day and doing nothing,” she said.
“It can be difficult to take him out because the crowds and noise can be too overwhelming.”
Ms Wartak said the iPad would provide countless hours of entertainment for her son, and thanked the children’s charity for brightening up his day.
“Variety put in a really big effort for kids with disabilities and I think they really are ‘the children’s charity’. They put their heart and soul into all of their work,” she said.
For more information about Variety – The Children’s Charity visit www.variety.org.au/vic
