Auralis was not diagnosed with his hearing disability at birth. It was after his parents realized that he was not responding to their call-outs, and he was also not speaking at his age that they decided to get him tested in a clinic. Unfortunately, Auralis did not receive a formal diagnosis of his condition as his parents are unable to afford the fees of $150 for the diagnostic report which is necessary in order for him to seek formal treatment or enrolment in a special needs school for early intervention. His parents were desperately seeking a solution for their dear son after the doctor recommended for Auralis to have a pair of hearing aids as soon as possible so that he can start learning speech to prevent delay which may result in him being permanently deaf and mute. Although his parents managed to purchase a pair of hearing aids for him at $700, there are more costs to it – from getting Auralis to be formally diagnosed, to getting the ear moulds done and the subsequent tuning and adjustments of the hearing aids. The 4-year-old will also need to attend fortnightly speech therapy sessions in order to start learning speech.

Auralis is currently staying in a transitional shelter with his parents and sibling. His Singaporean father, Mr Cedric works as a contract dishwasher and earns a nett income of around $1,200 a month. His Indonesian mum, Mdm Aulyana only received her Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) recently. She currently does home-based cooking to sustain some income as the couple has another 9-year-old son who is currently awaiting his Student’s Pass approval in order to start his primary education in Singapore.

Quoting Mdm Aulyana, “Auralis is a sweet boy who understands us. Though he doesn’t speak, he smiles when we are laughing and keeps quiet when he knows that we are sad. As his mum, I really do not want him to be permanently deaf and mute.”

Financial Breakdown

Ray of Hope would like to raise $1,450 for Auralis, being payment for:

• Diagnosis – $150
• Ear moulds – $180
• Tuning of hearing aids – $400
• Fortnightly speech therapy sessions for 6 months – $720

Payment will be made to the agencies directly. Please donate to help a 4-year-old who is at risk of being permanently deaf and mute.