Philip's story

Philip was only 5 when his father died. Already a troubled child, he seemed to withdraw further into himself and his behaviour became increasingly bizarre and obsessive.

He took to counting everything he saw, including the leaves on a tree; he wouldn’t touch surfaces without wearing gloves; he was clumsy, always tripping over and couldn’t catch a ball to save his life. If confronted by anything or anyone new, he would shut down’ completely. School was a nightmare for him; life was a battle – a battle he wasn’t winning.

It wasn’t until he was 15 that Philip was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. At last, the root cause of his behaviour, so long attributed to the trauma of his father’s death, or simply to him being a difficult, ill-disciplined child, had a proper explanation. At last, too, a chink of light in Philip’s darkness. It was realised that in order to flourish, both personally and academically, Philip needed the support of highly-trained staff in a specialised environment.

Within the carefully-managed structured routine at Cambian’s Wing Centre, he felt secure enough to emerge from his self-imposed isolation. A programme was developed for him focused on developing trust in one-to-one relationships until he felt able to engage with small groups of peers. Now the real business of learning could begin!

The ‘Waking Day’ curriculum provided Philip with a consistent multi-disciplinary approach and realistic achievable targets from the moment he opened his eyes in the morning, seven days a week. Breaking down each task into small, manageable steps allowed Philip to grow in confidence about his own abilities and achieve the academic success that once seemed out of his reach. Harnessing instead of fighting his interest in numbers allowed him to shine in Maths classes.

With input from occupational therapists, Philip improved his motor skills and learned to control involuntary movements. He may never be a goal-keeper for Chelsea, but he can take an active part in and enjoy team games! Systematic desensitisation therapy encouraged Philip to be less anxious about touching surfaces.

Today, Philip is at university, studying Mathematics! He takes care of himself, cooking his own meals and keeping his flat clean so it’s ready when his friends call round.

His future is bright; he embraces life wholeheartedly – always with his gloves off!