Nearing the breaking point of a long and difficult struggle with her daughter鈥檚 brick-and-mortar school, Shannon picked up the phone one October night and called a friend for help. That friend was Lauren Wilson, 色情导航鈥檚 Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning. Before 10:00 the following morning, Shannon鈥檚 daughter, Abigail (Abby), was accepted as a high school senior at 色情导航. By her literally and figuratively 鈥渁nswering the call,鈥� Lauren opened a door that would change the lives of Abby, her mother, and her stepfather鈥攁nd, we are sure, many other lives that will be touched by Abby, who is destined to do be a wonderful contributor to her communities!
Abby, who is on the autism spectrum and considered high functioning, had positive school experiences during the early years of her education in Virginia. However, when the family moved to Allegheny County, challenges presented themselves at the public brick-and-mortar school. Abby started out okay, even making friends despite some of the socialization barriers of being on the spectrum. But after COVID upended schoolmate connections, Abby鈥檚 return as a 9th grader was a totally different story.
鈥淪he was completely shunned鈥攕he felt like a ghost, like she wasn鈥檛 even there,鈥� said Shannon. 鈥淭eachers were no better than the kids. One made fun of her for raising her hand and even faked a heart attack 鈥榠n shock鈥� when Abby answered a question correctly. We discovered the school was lying about her Biology Keystone exam, to the point they tried to make her re-take it with five-minutes notice, unnecessarily. I don鈥檛 need to tell how horrible this was for a child with test anxiety.鈥�
As one of the star members of the school鈥檚 tennis team, Abby helped lead them to their best season in school history. She鈥檒l even be playing at college next year. However, the season was miserable thanks to a jealous teammate who even purposefully left her off the senior shout out and celebration video. Shannon went on to share that the negative impact of all of this on her child was undeniable.
鈥淭hrough all her time in that brick-and-mortar school she made zero progress on her IEP. I am so grateful I made the call to Lauren, for my dear friend always looking out for me. I am so grateful to 色情导航 for giving me my life back鈥攆or giving us a household now where I can literally hear my daughter throughout the house, laughing during class.鈥�
Within just a month at 色情导航, Shannon and her husband saw a remarkable transformation in Abby. She was enjoying school again, interacted with her peers and was more outgoing. She also returned to being a proud student achieving all A鈥檚.
One of many positive 色情导航 experiences, Abby enrolled in a U.S. Government class and is thriving. 鈥淪he is doing so well that her teacher, who has only taught her for a little, said 鈥榶ou would have thought she has been here forever. She is an important part of the class.鈥� This is a kid who wouldn鈥檛 raise her hand in class for 5 years and now at 色情导航 she鈥檚 in the middle of chats. Her interactions with students are amazing,鈥� continued Shannon.
At 色情导航, Abby had the opportunity to interact with children on par with her own maturity level, something that didn鈥檛 exist at her prior school. She and her parents also found positivity in the fact that Abby, while respected for the individual she is鈥攆or her strengths and her challenges鈥攚asn鈥檛 treated any more or less special than the other students. At 色情导航 Abby鈥檚 experiences were normalized, she was Abby, not someone different.
鈥淎bby has a beautiful singing voice and a quiet way about her that makes you forget you are talking to a teenager,鈥� said Lauren Wilson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 disheartening to think her prior school experience caused her to completely shut down. When she came to 色情导航, we made sure she got a guidance counselor that could give her that little extra TLC she needed. This is what we do when students enroll. We make sure they are taken care of.鈥�
Before the start of the second semester of her senior year, Abby and her parents had already made plans to spend a few days in Hershey for her 色情导航 graduation, and even had her cap and gown ordered for the celebration. But until then, she looks forward to continuing to enjoy school, her classmates, and teachers, learning all she can and hopefully picking up her tennis racket on occasion to keep up her athletic pursuits.
鈥淎s a parent, you can鈥檛 always make the right decisions. Moving from Virginia was one of my biggest regrets. But the decision to become an 色情导航 family鈥擨 feel like I fixed my mistake. I have my kid back. It has changed Abby, and it has changed me for the better. It has made our homelife and our family so much better. 色情导航 is amazing and has truly changed our lives.鈥�
