James Rigby Fund

James Rigby is 9 years old and has Autism. He is a Lancashire lad who is at present living in Widemouth Bay, North Cornwall for care reasons. James has difficulty communicating, forming relationships, carrying out everyday tasks and finds it really hard to make sense of the world around him. You may think of the film ‘Rainman’ with Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. Well don’t. Autism is a brain disorder which ranges from people with mild dyslexia to severe autism. In early 2006 an American medical team came to Britain and chose several autistic children to undergo a revolutionary treatment called ‘Son-rise’. James was one of the lucky few. The children had four days of intensive treatment in an effort to bring them out of their ‘autistic world’. The effect it had on James was astonishing and the ‘Son-rise’ team stated James was by far the most responsive candidate. As a result of those four days he was toilet trained, began using words to communicate and learnt to show affection for the first time which for my brother and his wife was a very emotional moment. The full ‘Son-rise’ treatment is a five week intensive course for parent and child based in America. The treatment centre is a non-profit making organisation but this intensive residential course for child and parent is £10,000. This treatment does not work for every Autistic child but it has proved that it would most certainly have a massive effect on James.