Ezekiel didn’t speak a word his first week at Story Tellers and even the smallest mistake made him retreat. But a few sessions later, he was smiling, whispering ideas, and lighting up the room.
When Ezekiel and his dad Sade first arrived, Ezekiel appeared very shy and didn’t utter a word for the entire first group. It quickly became clear that Ezekiel lacked confidence generally, and any small perceived mistake could upset him and cause him to become withdrawn.
Ezekiel’s dad, Sade, was worried about him as he was largely non-verbal and withdrawn. Ezekiel really struggled in the first week, clearly worried about getting things wrong and finding a new environment difficult to adapt to. We worked closely with Ezekiel and his dad, tailoring activities so that he felt able to access them and making the environment as low pressure and focused on fun as possible.
We worked to build his confidence by offering him level appropriate games and activities, giving him plenty of opportunity to absorb the story and take part in games without ever putting pressure on him to perform. We showered him with praise and encouragement at every opportunity.
We gradually saw more and more smiles. By session three, there was a marked difference in his behaviour. He was constantly smiling, gesturing, engaging with the story and all activities, and even whispering answers to questions and ideas for crafts into his dad’s ear. Even when finding activities tough his resilience had clearly improved, and we never saw his withdrawn side again.
By session six, he was confidently joining in with all activities, and even offering suggestions and answers in group activities. His dad was absolutely delighted with the difference and expressed a desire for Ezekiel to be a permanent member of Story Tellers because of the positive impact it had made! It was a joy to see how stories and gentle encouragement could bring so much happiness and confidence to Ezekiel’s life.
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