During this time of year it is hard to stop and reflect on the year that is coming to an end.   The Adaptive Learning Center would like to take the last twelve days of 2015 to remind everyone some of the reasons we have to be grateful!

We hope you will join our journey through 12 Days of Gratitude!  Connect with ALC on social media and follow our new blog – The ALC Kids Blog.

12 Days of Gratitude – Day 1 - A Letter From Reese’s Family

We are so grateful for the Adaptive Learning Center! With the help of an inclusion specialist our daughter has been able to attend a typical preschool with her typical peers. This is giving our daughter a great foundation for learning and setting her up for success in a typical world.

Four years ago, we found out at our 20 week ultrasound that Reese would be born with the most severe form of spina bifida called myelomeningocele.  This is an open sac where the spinal cord doesn't form correctly that includes nerves. We had fetal surgery at Vanderbilt at 23 weeks gestation while I was still pregnant to close her open sac.  We delivered her at 37 weeks here in Atlanta.

Reese is cognitively and socially typical, but she will always have weakness in her lower extremities.  She wears leg braces to help her walk and a special suit under her clothes to maintain good alignment. She also wears glasses to correct eye crossing.

To us, Reese is perfect. The Adaptive Learning Center helps us meet her special needs and give her the best education at the same time.

Reese is a student of The Adaptive Learning Center at Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool in Atlanta, GA.  Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool is one of ALC’s 9 locations in the Metro Atlanta area. 

The Adaptive Learning Center’s Executive Director, Charles Schoen, received a letter from a parent in one of ALC’s partner preschools.  Her children are not in the ALC program but had children in classes with kids in the program. This is a part of the letter expressing what a difference ALC made in her children’s lives.

“Having a 7 and 8 year old that attended from 2yr old to 5/6, I’ve appreciated the program. We have loved our teachers, and the boys have enjoyed meeting friends. But having the contrast of ages it became apparent what I value most about Peachtree Presbyterian - is the differences the ALC provides and the articulation of how our children treat other children. This is not about diversity, but about our children learning to love, appreciate, and share a world with others that learn, act, and achieve at different levels than they do.

A proud moment came from my oldest when we were introduced to a child with severe disabilities. John Davis asked, "Mom is that child one that learns differently?" My son William insists on opening the door for all just in case they can't hold it. My other son Knox seems to hold every child as the fearfully and wonderfully made child of God that they truly are.

My children are thriving in many ways, but I am especially thankful for Peachtree Presbyterian for introducing us to the Adaptive Learning Center and everyone that supports it. With the ALC, we have all been blessed to view life through a different lens. An awareness that will be fruitful as our kids face their next classroom, friend, and challenge...to treat others as we'd like to be treated. After all, they have been modeling this for years!”     

-Lynn Thomason 

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The Adaptive Learning Center is grateful for all of our program participants, program families and everyone in the communities we serve.  If you have a story, we would love to hear from you and share!  Please contact us!

Meet Ethan! 
Ethan's journey, thus far, has been an incredible adventure.  We were blessed with Ethan, our first child, six years ago weighing a healthy 8lbs, 14oz.  He met all of his milestones as expected and other than being a late walker and having recurrent ear infections he was a "typical" toddler.  At 18 months, the pediatrician noted a speech delay and referred us to Babies Can't Wait.  The early intervention program opened our eyes through the evaluation process and we began to see our little man was not as "typical" as we had thought.

We enrolled Ethan in a mothers morning out program at 2 ½ for social interactions with peers.  At the end of his second week the director pulled me aside to have a talk about the teachers informing her that Ethan was "too much for the teachers to handle".  Robert and I felt a little defeated that our 2 year old was "kicked out" of preschool because he threw a tantrum when the teacher attempted to change his soiled diaper or refused to hold teachers hand in hallway.

We realized we needed to address all of Ethan's struggles not just his speech delay.  We had to face reality and push aside the notion that Ethan's quirks would just disappear with growth.  Our daily life was intense. By Ethan's 30th month he struggled with sensory issues including food aversion to different textures, holding our hand, recurrent chest and ear infections, and tantrums.  Due to these many factors, and ultimately failing his hearing test, he was scheduled for an Auditory Brainstem Response.  As we waited at Children's Hospital for Ethan to be sedated he had a huge meltdown about the plastic name bracelet they required him to wear on his wrist or ankle.  Given his response to the bracelet, a nurse asked, "Is he autistic?"  Robert and I looked at her in shock as we have never been asked that question before, we responded, "no, he hasn't been tested."  The ABR results were normal and we left with the word autism lingering in our thoughts.

We were nearing the end of Babies Can't Wait and still struggling with our next steps for treatment.  Ethan was finally approved for occupational therapy through Babies Can't Wait. The occupational therapist came to the house for her first evaluation and contacted us the following week with disheartening news, Ethan was not eligible for services since he was almost finished with Babies Can't Wait.  We were frustrated and felt Ethan was shortchanged in regards to receiving OT.  We were then informed that Ethan was eligible to attend the special needs preschool program at a local elementary school.

He was evaluated and put on an IEP and joined the class the week after his 3rd birthday.  He loved the first six months he attended and we were thrilled with the teacher/student ratio and support from a speech therapist and an occupational therapist.  We were excited for the following school year that fall and right before school started we received some news that due to budget cuts the teacher's aide was laid off and there would be two more kids in the class than the previous school year.  I was asked to be the room mom for the class and accepted and volunteered on a weekly basis to be an extra set of hands in the class. The class had eight children all ranging with different abilities and Ethan was one of the higher functioning students.  It grew apparent that Ethan was getting bored with the curriculum that he had once loved.  Every morning was a challenge getting him dressed and in the class. Ethan continued to have multiple infections causing him to be absent a lot.  When he did return and was healthy he struggled with behavior problems including aggression and tantrums.  He was on a spiral and the school called an interventionist in for him.  She observed him in school and at home and set up a behavior action plan.  His days stayed the same and we began to see was outgrowing his class.  The teachers were not as available to vary his routine and challenge him academically due to other classmates needing more individualized care.  I started searching for similar programs with an even more individualized path for Ethan. 

The school year was coming to an end and the four schools we toured were not what we wanted for Ethan.  While I was in the waiting room of one of the private schools I picked up a parents magazine special needs edition and began reading.  I came across a little ad featuring The Adaptive Learning Center inclusion program. We scheduled a tour with the ALC and met with Kathy Ward.  We were thrilled to find a school and support for Ethan in a "typical" setting. It was exactly what we had been searching for.  While we spoke about Ethan he played on the playground.  Kathy noticed how cautious Ethan was on the playground equipment and we mentioned how he is afraid of heights.  Kathy smiled and said, "he is overly cautious because he cannot find his bearings in space due to a weak core, and when his center is weak everything else follows; balance, handwriting, etc."  She gave us a "lightbulb moment" where it all made sense.  She began with suggestions on how to strengthen his core first and the rest will improve.  It was great news to hear and at the same time it was a punch in the stomach because Ethan had been in OT with school and in a private practice and it was never explained to us other than a fear of heights.  She recommended a phenomenal OT and we immediately saw changes in Ethan.

Ethan finished his year in public school and we started him with the ALC in 2013 at The Sunshine School. Shortly after Ethan's 5th birthday he started Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool (PPP) in the 5/6 class.  It was a smooth year and he finished out his year on a high note.  He was recommended to 5/6 class for 2014-2015 school year as well.  We decided when Ethan was 5 ½ to have him tested.  We have known for some time Ethan is anything but "typical".  He was diagnosed with being on the spectrum, having high functioning autism (Asperger's).

Ethan continued in the 5/6 class at Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool(PPP) and though illnesses still affected his attendance we know he is where he needs to be.  The ALC and PPP have been such a blessing to our family! We were happy to see Ethan in an environment where he was thriving with socialization, academics, behavior, and support from a great team. Ethan's peers were intrigued by his knowledge and reading skills and were very accepting of his struggles. 

Our goals for Ethan are continuing on this promising path of reaching his full potential and having supportive team members to guide him when we are not in school with him.  The ALC has given our family hope again that Ethan will flourish in his life.  Without the ALC we would be in limbo of programs that keep moving Ethan around leaving him with a loss of security and us his parents in fear of a self-contained classroom.  God has a plan for our beautiful Ethan and we will be by his side to give him support and lead him to places that make him happy.  We regret not finding ALC sooner as they have opened so many doors for our family.  When you finally get to a place you know you are meant to be you don't want to leave because they become family.  ALC and PPP have been our saving grace!  With few options before reading about ALC we were looking to move out of state for more support.

Autism has a symbol - a puzzle piece. We interpret this as Ethan's life is a planned puzzle that will make a beautiful scene, and each piece makes it a little clearer to see.  ALC is a big piece in our son's puzzle.  We are very grateful to ALC and PPP for accepting our son into the program.  Ethan has been such a trooper in all the moves and transitions thus far and it has laid a solid foundation for his future to achieve great things.  ALC provides a caring and supportive place for the whole family with an incredible curriculum taught by phenomenal teachers.  They go beyond by having meetings, goals, daily emails, and unwavering optimism.  All we can say is we hope ALC expands to reach out to elementary because we are not ready to leave.  Ethan speaks volumes with his words and his actions.  He says, "I love my school, my teachers, my friends, and the tapestry room!"  It warms my heart to see him every morning without fights, get in the car, travel 45 minutes to school, and run into school.  What a change, truly priceless!

Thanks,

DeAnne and Robert Monsalve