Ryan S.
Our son, Ryan is a loving, caring, motivated and smart child. Unfortunately, sometimes these great qualities are overshadowed by the fact that Ryan has autism. Ryan received the diagnosis of autism at an extremely young age of two years old. At that time, he was the youngest child ever diagnosed with autism at the University of Michigan.
Initially, I sent Ryan to a traditional pre-school, but I quickly discovered that it wouldn’t work with all of his difficulties. Little did I know that this would become an unfortunate trend for Ryan in the public school system. The constant struggles he endured caused by an inability to interact with children in a typical way made Ryan feel different than his peers. He never felt like he fit in. The list of other problems just went on and on.
Life improved for a short time after I fought to get Ryan into a special pre-school program in Livonia for kids with learning disabilities. He thrived in this school, and when he was five years old, he started to talk. Things looked good for him during that time. The teachers even called Ryan their “poster child” since he had done better than any other child who had been through the program. With the positive experience Ryan had in pre-school and his teacher’s recommendations, Ryan started kindergarten in a traditional public school with lots of enthusiasm. This was short lived. Almost immediately, Ryan started to struggle and within two months, he was placed in a program for students with autism. This is when the revolving door between special education and general education classrooms began. Neither were an appropriate fit for Ryan. In special education, he was always the highest functioning child who was held back by the constraints of the class. In general education, he didn’t fit either. Ryan began to show signs of depression, frustration, anxiety, and extreme loneliness.
Each year, I searched for a place where Ryan could belong, feel safe, learn, and regain his self-esteem. This dream finally became a reality when Ryan started school at Learning Circle Academy. LCA has changed all of our lives. The dedicated staff understands each child and their individual needs. The extra attention Ryan receives has given him the opportunity to learn at his own pace. He also receives instruction and guidance in social skills, which will assist him in the world and prepare him for an independent life.
Learning Circle Academy has been life altering for Ryan. Now he has hopes and dreams. He talks about the future in a positive way, and he is thriving. Someday, Ryan hopes to be a teacher at LCA so that he can help other children with disabilities.
We all look forward to Ryan’s continued success at Learning Circle Academy and we are grateful to be a part of the close LCA family.
Kimberly Stenta