Highland mum hopeful non-verbal daughter will speak after London visit
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A dedicated Inverness mum believes her dream to hear her non-verbal daughter say "mum" will come true after a life-changing visit to see specialists in London.
Kelly Macrae and her husband Chris have been determined never to give up on their daughter Amelia Jo Kelly, who has complex needs with global development delay, autism and epilepsy.
Despite being told she would not understand or follow instructions, Amelia communicated on some level with her family who were convinced that with the right expertise they would one day hear her voice.
They are now more hopeful than ever after taking the eight-year-old to see private consultants in Harley Street with a track record of getting non-verbal children to speak.
During assessments, Amelia – a pupil at Drummond School in Inverness – said the name of her favourite animated character, Peppa Pig, plus the words “yellow” and “balloon” as well as following instructions.
The trip was made possible following a crowdfunding campaign which raised £7000, far exceeding the initial target of £3000.
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Although the family have yet to receive the specialists’ official report, they say there has been real progress so far.
“It has been life-changing for us,” said Mrs Macrae, who is Amelia’s full-time carer.
“It was amazing.
“I have believed all along that she will say ‘mum’. I am determined to hear her say that.
“The sad fact is that we are so under-resourced in the Highlands for children with complex needs and so you have to seek outside help.
“Going through the private sector was the best thing we have ever done for Amelia.”
During the assessments by a speech and language specialist, Amelia completed tasks such as building a tower of plastic containers.
“The therapist pushed Amelia out of her comfort zone,” Mrs Macrae said.
“It was like someone flicked a switch.
“We couldn’t have done this without people’s help.”
She said it had also been an eye-opener for her and she acknowledged that the family will also need to adopt a new approach.
“When Amelia has refused to do something, we always did it for her,” she said.
“We need to step back and say ‘no, you do it’. We need to be tougher.”
The plan is for her to continue with virtual sessions for the next few months and to return to London for a follow-up consultation later in the year.
Amelia, who is the youngest of five siblings, has been through much in her short life since being born at 32 weeks gestation.
Two years ago she underwent seven operations in one year alone and over the last winter has been admitted to the children’s unit at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness several times with serious infections and viruses due to her weak immune system.
Mrs Macrae said they had been overwhelmed by the number of people, including strangers, who had supported the crowdfunding campaign.
She said two individuals in particular had donated sums of more than £1000 and £3000 and companies which had supported the visit included Caley Timber and the Global Energy Group.
“We are so grateful to everyone,” Mrs Macrae said.
Amelia also joined in the fundraising efforts along with her friend, Harry Ritchie Mackenzie (5), for a 50m walk at Drummond School.
“There are so many parents who are in limbo with children with needs,” Mrs Macrae said.
“Luckily, I was able to fundraise but there are a lot of parents who cannot fundraise.”
The family is also behind Amelia’s Young Highlander Awards (AYHA) which honours inspirational young people from across the Highlands.
