Connecting beyond words

This article is available in the following formats Click to download PDF Word Alex Procopis and Joe Surawski met when they were 12 years old. The both have Down syndrome and autism and don’t use words as their…
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This article is available in the following formats

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Alex Procopis and Joe Surawski met when they were 12 years old. The both have Down syndrome and autism and don’t use words as their main form of communication. Brian Procopis is Alex’s dad and in this wonderful article, he shows us all the ways Alex and Joe’s friendship has developed and grown over the years. He discusses how both families have built a creative and joy-filled life for the boys while looking for other ways for the boys to communicate beyond words

Joe & Alex

Music has been an integral part of life for both Alex and Joe and it was down this path that a unique and incredible talent was discovered. Alex has a distinct singing ability that was celebrated by Zimbabwean musician Tichawona Noble Mashawa and vocalist/drummer Velvet Pesu resulting in an incredible piece of work designed to communicate with the Elephants

Alex is a singer

You can see the results of the work here: Elephant Whisperer – Giant Hearts

See more of Alex’s work, including performances at Woodford Folk Festival at his YouTube channel – Alex and the Elephants

Joe is a songwriter

Joe and Brian have also been working on writing songs together and the three of them gave an impromptu performance at a workshop held by Down Syndrome Australia staff in Brisbane in 2019.

Check out the fantastic song here:

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