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Juan Paulo Rufino Rubio 

Juan Paolo is 7 years old and started at Pasitos de Luz in 2017 at the age of 3. He is a very calm little boy who likes to take stock of his surroundings. He enjoys watching cartoons, going for walks in our garden spaces, and dressing up.

Diagnosis

Juan Paulo has a diagnosis of Dandy-Walker Syndrome, which is a congenital brain malformation, and epilepsy. When he first started at Pasitos de Luz, Juan Paulo was not walking; he could only move by dragging himself across the floor. He was also not able to talk, instead making indistinguishable sounds, and had to be helped to eat because he could not grip a spoon.

Therapies

We have worked hard to improve Juan Paulo’s wellbeing and to give him a better quality of life. They were such special moments when he took his first tentative steps and when he was first able to eat all by himself. We have seen major improvements in his physical health, thanks to patient sessions with our physiotherapists, who have used balance bars, ankle weights and stability balls to help him increase balance and muscle strength.

The next major challenge for Juan Paulo is to build on these achievements. We would love to see him improve his balance and coordination to be able to walk unassisted. We would also like him to improve his spoken language. We have already started to work with him on the basics, like being able to recite the alphabet and identify colours, animals and foodstuffs. We feel confident that Juan Paulo will reach these goals and much more!

Family Life

Juan Paulo lives with him mum, dad and older sister. He likes coming to Pasitos de Luz to have his therapies and to enjoy the ample outdoor spaces at Casa Connor, where he can get close to nature, build his self-confidence and bond with his classmates.