A desperate mum who believes she is being let down by the system is appealing for help to unlock the hidden potential of her cerebral-palsy quadriplegic son’s life.
Elaine MacColl, 37, of Nairn, is aiming to raise £8,000 towards a state-of-the-art eye-gaze software system which would allow 14-year-old Cameron the ability to better communicate with others.
The mother-of-six said: “He is a little miracle trapped in a body that does not work.”
Cameron was diagnosed with the condition when he was just seven months old, but Mrs MacColl does not believe he is getting the support he deserves.
She said she has suffered a number of setbacks in the past and has now taken it into her own hands to raise funds to purchase the communication aid.
She added: “He is now 14 years old and I feel as though he is being baby-sat, both educationally and with the level of support being given, with no real help that encourages him to develop as far as he possibly can.
“Cameron is entirely dependent on my partner and I for his daily needs. He is unable to control his normal muscle functions.
“I am aware that he will never be able to do many of the things that other children do but he is capable of doing much more than he does at present.
“The one big item that we have identified that would have a profound impact on his life and wellbeing is an eye-gaze system.
“This would allow him to communicate with the world around him and to control numerous electronic devices that would benefit his lifestyle.”
Cameron currently uses a “podd book system” for communication purposes, which Ms MacColl said was not only time-consuming – causing frustration – but requires an additional person to actually use.
If Cameron wants the lights in his room switched on, for example, with an eye-gaze system he can achieve this quickly and efficiently by himself.
With the podd book system he must wait for someone to become available and ask him if he wants something, then slowly work through the pages in the book to establish that he wants the light on and then switch the light on for him.
Mrs MacColl said: “We have had Cameron examined privately on using an eye-gaze system with very positive results.
“It is the only way that I can see for Cameron to achieve any form of independence and to be able to communicate efficiently.”
She added that a friend had this week helped set up a FoFundMe appeal on the internet on behalf of the family to raise cash for the essential software.
NHS Highland said it “does not comment on individual cases” but a spokesman did say that speech and language services and assisted technology was “provided by Highland Council’s additional support needs team”.
A Highland Council spokeswoman said Cameron would need to be tested and assessed for suitability of the eye-gaze system before it would be considered.
She added that they would try to arrange a meeting with the family as soon as possible to make arrangements.