A Broughty Ferry couple hope their daughter will soon be able to communicate again after three years.
Emily Gray’s speech was developing well after six months and Shona Thomson and Robbie Gray thought they had a perfectly healthy baby girl.
But just before her first birthday, Emily stopped speaking altogether and her mobility was restricted.
She was later diagnosed with Rett Syndrome a rare neurological condition affecting one in 15,000 babies.
Although born healthy, they begin to lose their speech between 10 months and three years and may lose mobility.
A simple blood test eventually confirmed Emily’s parents’ fears and for the past three years she has not uttered a word.
Shona (37) said: “She wasn’t pointing at things like other children. She used to be able to clap and wave and she stopped doing all of that.”
Early signs seemed to point to autism and doctors kept a close eye on Emily’s progress but it was Shona’s research that led to a diagnosis.
Now aged four, Emily can walk but she is still in nappies and her parents have to feed her. More worrying still, there is nothing to guarantee she won’t regress further.
But Emily may now be able to communicate with her parents again. Through Facebook, Shona and Robbie met Debi Hall, whose own daughter Shona developed Rett in 2008.
Debi launched charity Help Me Communicate (link) and is now fundraising to buy aids that would allow Emily to express herself.
“I’m desperate for Emily to be able to communicate,” Shona said.
Help Me Communicate is holding a charity medium night at Broughty Ferry Castle Green on October 28, with tickets available by phoning 07545 383993.