Centro Benedetta D'Intino Onlus
Founded 30 years ago by Cristina Mondadori in memory of her first granddaughter, the Benedetta D’Intino Center takes care of children with severe communication disabilities and psychological distress and their families.
They are children who cannot express themselves through their voice: they cannot say mommy, daddy, I’m hungry, enough, I’m scared, I love you. Many of them cannot even rely on gestures and body movements. Unfortunately, they are often perceived as “empty boxes” and their inability to speak is associated with the idea that they have nothing to say.
Instead, they have worlds, thoughts, needs and desires, like all other children.
Giving them the opportunity to communicate means getting them out of the forced silence to which they are relegated, giving them dignity, ensuring that they can self-determine and participate in social life.
Communicating is everyone’s right, even those who cannot speak.
Augmentative Alternative Communication is a clinical practice for children with communication disabilities associated with pathologies (cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorders, genetic, chromosomal or neuromotor pathologies) that seeks different languages for them to express themselves and achieve the best possible autonomy.
The Benedetta D’Intino Center was the first in Italy to dedicate itself entirely to this clinical area, to improve the lives of its young patients and their families, who have found the key to giving their children a voice.