When Irene was in 8th grade, her guidance counselor met with Irene’s aunt to discuss Irene’s high school application. Irene, a bright and creative student who is extremely shy, had taken a while to bloom in her current classroom – her teacher said she didn’t hear Irene speak for the first 6 months of the school year! Irene’s counselor was concerned about finding a high school with the special education services Irene might need and that, without the right supports, she would feel overwhelmed and fall further behind her peers.
With support from an AFC advocate, Irene’s aunt began to research possible schools in their area but couldn’t find anything that would be a suitable fit. AFC recommended that Irene undergo a neuropsychological evaluation, which confirmed that a smaller special education class would be the best school setting for Irene, to help support not only her language disorder and learning disabilities, but also her anxiety and emotional needs.
Armed with this evaluation, Irene’s aunt and their AFC advocate began to look at state approved Non-Public Schools that provide tailored support. When Irene and her advocate visited one of the schools, Irene initially spoke so softly that her aunt had to interpret for her. However, after a tour and a conversation with the principal, both her aunt and advocate were surprised and thrilled to see Irene come completely out of her shell and speak passionately about her desire to someday become a preschool teacher.
“It was really empowering,” remembers her AFC advocate. “Because she felt comfortable, she could speak up for herself and her needs and talk about what she’s looking for in her education.”
Irene was accepted at the school, where she’s now in a small class with peers who have similar needs and learning styles, and Irene’s aunt reports that she’s already more confident: every day, her niece comes home and shares what she’s learning and how her day went, when she used to come home from school tired and withdrawn.
