Born: 1985
Financial adoption: Fam. Gailing, (Ananse) Germany.

Cynthia is one of our more mature young women. She was born in 1985 and came to Hand in Hand in 1998 from the Mental Hospital in Accra where she had lived for a number of years on the children’s ward. Cynthia is severely autistic and has no speech but does understand quite a lot of what is said.

Cynthia is happy at the workshop in the autistic hall for it is a very safe place with a quiet pleasant atmosphere. Cynthia is good at showing what she wants. She can make you suddenly sit down on a chair or bench beside her. If she wants to be touched on her scalp or hold hands with you, you are in no doubt about her wishes for she grasps your hands and executes her plan. Strangers may feel somewhat perplexed when they find themselves suddenly sitting with her, holding her hands. Cynthia, like many people with autism, thrives on a regular daily routine. Every morning she walks with her caregiver or with Boadu and immediately after breakfast she runs to the workshop to take her place. Other certainties are the daily swimming hour and the evening TV time. She absolutely does not want to diverge from her steady predictable and therefore comforting pattern.