4 year old Jadori attends AHRC NYC’s Francis of Paola School. She was slow to speak when she joined us a year ago.
“She wasn’t speaking. She was using hands doing like sign language. I thought I had to learn sign language to communicate with my daughter. I missed so much work because I wanted to take her to this doctor and that doctor. They told me she had autism spectrum disorder.”
Jadori’s mom, Amaris, recalling this difficult time
Angela Mendez, Jadori’s teacher at AHRC NYC, explains, “Jadori started with us last September, and she was nonverbal. She was not giving us any eye contact at all. However, we did see something very special in Jadori. She was very bright and we knew that right away.”
AHRC NYC schools foster a language-rich environment. Says Miss Angela, “We have charts and graphs, lots of reading. We don’t speak to the children like they have a disability or they have a language delay. We treat them like every other child in any other educational environment.”
Thanks to her hard work and incredible teachers, Jadori has flourished in school.
Miss Angela loves to tell the birthday story.
“We had a birthday in the class and all of a sudden Jadori just belted out the Happy Birthday song from start to finish and that was the first time that we’ve ever heard her really talking. She’s very caring, kind, and loving. And very intelligent. We’re so proud of her.”
Angela Mendez
Amaris can’t believe the change she has made. “It’s all because of the teachers here. I’m so grateful for this school. I used to worry that someone might hurt Jadori, because she could not talk. Today, she is so independent and confident – one of her favorite things to say is ‘Mommy, I can do it myself!’”
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