A handshake from Jack
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Through our Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) service, Jack received the support he needed to thrive among his peers. If you met him now, he’d probably come shake your hand and say a polite “hello”.
Jack* lives in a severely disadvantaged neighbourhood, with his single mother. When he first came to our Miller, ECEI service, he was displaying features similar to Autism.
Despite features similar to Autism, Jack’s strengths were his social skills, and a mother who believed in her son.
Jack started with our group program to work on appropriate social interactions. He learned to say “hello” and offer a handshake or a wave, rather than getting into people’s faces and yelling. At the group he also learned to take turns appropriately, to wait, and to say “thank you” when offered a toy. Jack was an exceptional student and took to the clear and consistent expectations of the group quickly.
Jack also attended fortnightly individual occupational therapy sessions. The therapist worked with him on regulating his sensory system and improving his balance and coordination. He later worked on more refined skills such as manipulating puzzles and writing.
Over the course of six months Jack became the chief meeter and greeter in his group and is now much calmer. Remarkably, he was able to catch up to his age group physically and emotionally.
Jack now has more age appropriate skills and his development has improved. His mother is also confident he will be able to cope in a mainstream classroom. The staff at Miller ECEI were so proud of Jack and the progress he made as a result of the collective efforts between them and his family.
*Name and image have been changed to protect the identity of the person we helped.
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