Last year, we shared our friend, Aiden’s story. Today, we’re feeling nostalgic as Aiden prepares to move onto public school soon. Here’s an update on Aiden’s progress as he continues to grow and develop new skills.
We are all astonished at how much progress Aiden has continued to make at GTP. He is so smart and can now hold a conversation with his peers and teachers. As said by his Speech Pathologist Sharon, “When Aiden was three years of age, he communicated in one-word utterances and by throwing tantrums. He needed much cuing to talk, and he could not consistently point to pictures and objects.” But, even that was an improvement from when he first enrolled at GTP at age two when he tantrummed most of the day, refused to eat, and did not want to stay at school. After speech and occupational therapy and the hard work of Aiden’s teachers and parents, Aiden now uses language to greet and comment, to answer and ask questions, and to label objects. He is beginning to carry on conversations with peers. He is solving simple communication problems spontaneously. He can point to named objects and pictures and answer questions about them. These communication skills will make a huge difference in Aiden’s life as he begins to get ready to go to kindergarten.” Aiden comes in every day with a smile on his face ready to participate in social and learning activities and this is all thanks to the team of family members and professionals who support Aiden daily.
There is no single employee at GTP who doesn’t know Aiden and enjoys hearing his stories about his day. We are in such awe of how he plays with his peers and joins in on their fun with no hesitation of him not being able to do what they are doing. Aiden can take the lead in activities when playing with peers and even put his own creative spin on group play. With the help of his therapists and encouragement of his teachers, Aiden has never been excluded from any activity. GTP is one big family and we encourage the children to never feel left out but to have fun and learn in a safe and trusting environment.
Now, when we see Aiden playing with peers, initiating communication, and being one of the happiest people in the building every single day it is hard to remember to remember the scared two-year-old who just wanted to go home. Aiden’s story is a true testament to the power of early intervention and how much progress one child can make in three short years with the right support.
