Meet Chase

Chase is 4 years old, has autism and is non-verbal. He has been attending Challengers’ Farnham Pre-school for 15 months, and his mum Selina has seen a huge improvement in his development since coming to us. She told us more about his Challengers experience…

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Chase loves Challengers! He runs straight in and doesn’t look back. The team set up so many different and exciting activities for the children, and he enjoys playing with water, sensory and messy play. As he’s non-verbal, it can be difficult for him to communicate and he gets easily frustrated.

Since coming to Challengers, he has improved massively with behaviours like scratching and lashing out. Thanks to the support from the team, he’s also getting more used to using PECS cards and it’s amazing to see him trying to communicate in his own way.

When Chase is at Challengers, it gives me some time to reset and do jobs that I can’t do with him around. It also gives me the space to support my own mental health, and time to do something I enjoy like going for a run.

Being a parent carer of a disabled child can be exhausting, and Challengers gives us respite which is really important for our family. I can relax knowing Chase is safe to play and be around others, in a place where he will never be judged.

The staff have been amazing with Chase and have also been a great support to me. They are so kind and helpful with paperwork or anything else I need help with. They truly are angels in disguise.