Joel has such an engaging personality. It’s the little things that he finds so much joy in. He has a fantastic sense of humour too. His one-liners are delivered with such comedic timing and precision that the smallest and most ordinary things can seem hilarious.

Joel finds it hard to sustain this positivity and tempo for long periods of time though. Joel has Smith-Magenis Syndrome, which is a rare and complex developmental disorder that affects many parts of the body, causes sleep disturbances and sometimes makes it hard for Joel to gain control over his emotions. 

Joel has a reversed circadian rhythm and his disrupted sleep patterns dramatically affect what he is able to do in the day. He must sleep in the afternoon and therefore it is important that Joel is surrounded by people who understand his needs.

Since Joel has been attending a HWNS day program he has really turned a corner. He used to get very distressed when he couldn’t communicate what he wanted or needed. Being able to help him deal with the stress when he couldn’t get his message across has been a real breakthrough. An even bigger success is that staff were able to help him prepare and transition into an independent living arrangement in a HWNS group home.

Preparation is of the utmost importance for people with Smith-Magenis Syndrome and requires perseverance and patience. This has paid off and Joel and his family are very proud about how far he has come. 

Joel can celebrate his new independent, full and valued life. He now does volunteer work for Meals on Wheels. He delights in yelling with great joy at every delivery “Meals on Wheels. You better hurry up, your meal’s getting cold”. We have also just placed him to do some work experience in an Auto Wreckers – his dream job. He really loves cars and is so excited to have the opportunity to be surrounded by them.