Eye Can Write: A memoir of a child's silent soul emerging

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The motivation of his mother to adapt the national curriculum and the volunteer teacher who helped in his lessons coupled with Jonathan’s own intelligence enabled him to find his voice. He was “unlocked” thanks to a combination of Mrs Bryan’s dogged perseverance — “I knew he was in there”, as she told The Times recently — and a perspex board, held up today by his carer, Pippa. Thank you Jonathan, for opening my eyes, my heart and unleashing a ferocity of 'questions' that only a special needs mother will fight tooth and nail to get answered. He now uses an alphabet board with the help of his mother which she describes as "the gateway to an unlocked child".

Three weeks before Chantal’s due date, the family was in a serious car accident that resulted in the emergency caesarean section birth of Jonathan. His experience took place in Intensive Care while he was in an induced coma during ventilation, which he was highly unlikely to survive. The first half of the book could have been written by me, so many similarities, so many hospital visits and 'near death experiences' and shall we say 'new starts! It is in turn a beautiful story of victory and championing by Jonathan, at the same time as a heartbreaking reflection on an education system which doesn't always take the time to really see and unlock the potential of many children who already have so much stacked against them.Immersing myself in a story is the most enjoyable, wonderful escapism; books have nourished my mind and prevented mental decay during my years of silence.

If you have ever wondered, just for a second, what the life of a child with a severe disability is like, what is going on inside their head, whether their life is worth living, this book will answer your questions decisively. Yes, it was a painstakingly slow process using a spelling board, but we need to know and see that disability does not stop the brain from wanting to learn. Little did he know that one day he would meet such a boy and join him in his journey, so that the lonely boy was not alone any more.I am not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without my permission. When I wrote Michael a fan letter a few years ago, I wasn’t sure I would get a reply, yet alone meet him, thanks to the Make a Wish charity. I decided to donate all my proceeds to Teach Us Too to make a difference for children like me in education. As Jonathan progresses, he excels in school tests and in IQ, and his campaigning takes off with resulting media coverage including a CBBC documentary. It also puts into real perspective the struggles and difficulties that most of us experience in life.

Like a bird let out of its cage, the picture that words can generate was free to fly in my reader’s mind and assume a new life of its own.

Each word in this review seems somehow more important to take care over, to choose wisely, as a result.

He grew up in a small town in Gloucestershire and he told The Guardian that he has very fond memories of growing up, depsite not being able to speak.It’s hard to ask tough questions when you so badly want something to be true, but it’s even harder to find out that you’ve caused inadvertent harm to vulnerable children, simply because those questions were never asked. It reveals a remarkable insight into his life, the journey to find a form of communication that works despite his cerebral palsy, and the truly inspiring campaign to revolutionise the education of children regardless of their disabilities. A lung infection means that he has to be permanently attached to oxygen, and he takes up to 30 doses of medication a day.