We’ve only got THREE more days till we all join at Bear Creek Park to celebrate the wonderful students and program that makes up The Arbor School. And as promised, we’ve got more personal stories to share! This one comes from Arbor parent, Julie Evans and chronicles the milestones her son, Benjamin, has achieved in just a short time at The Arbor. Thanks, for sharing, Julie!

My son Benjamin was born in January 2008 after a normal uneventful pregnancy. Within hours of his birth my husband and I were told that something was wrong with our son.  He was diagnosed with a serious heart defect and later a genetic defect.  The first few months of his life were simply about survival. He had open heart surgery and later three more surgeries to correct other problems. We started therapy right away but saw little progress even though we were going almost every day. By the time Benjamin was 18 months old I was starting to feel depressed over how little he was able to do. Physically all he could do was sit up.  Cognitively he was in the 6 month old range.  I started to search for schools and found the Arbor School.  

Benjamin started in Classroom A with Ms. Sonia in November 2009. Over the next 18 months we experienced a series of major successes.  At this time Benjamin was being fed exclusively through a g-tube in his stomach.  Despite twice a week feeding therapy we were no closer to him accepting food by mouth.  Sonia patiently worked with Benjamin every day and slowly he began to eat small amounts for the first time in his life!  This qualified him to enroll in a feeding clinic where he was able to increase the amount he eats. Today he is mostly eating by mouth and he actually enjoys it!

Another major area of improvement for Benjamin is mobility. Within 6 months of starting at the Arbor Benjamin started to crawl.  And then he started to “cruise”.  And finally he took his first steps.  Just in the past few weeks Benjamin started walking independently all the time.

Communication was also non-existent for Benjamin before the Arbor.  Now he regularly uses sign language and is beginning to talk.  He has just started to communicate using an iPad with his new teacher Ms.Tricia.  

Before we found the Arbor I thought the future for my son was bleak.  Now I have hope and the Arbor has helped me discover that my son is bright and full of potential.  Benjamin loves going to school and is thriving under the intensive instruction provided by the teachers.

Thank you Arbor School!

Please consider making a gift to support Benjamin and others through our 2nd Annual Arbor Fun Walk, donating is easy to do and can be done so online at www.arborfunwalk.org/donate.php.

It’s here! The week of the 2nd Annual Arbor Fun Walk is finally here! To celebrate this wonderful event, we’re featuring more personal success stories from our school. Today’s feature comes from Arbor Family – The Smouse’s  – thanks for sharing your story!

Why We Love the Arbor School

When doctors throw all sorts of terms at you that you don’t understand, you cling to the words you do understand.  That’s what happened to us when Dylan was born on November 17, 2006.  In a few short hours we were told our beautiful son had a VSD and pulmonary hypertension, needed an echocardiogram, oh and this was all because he has Down Syndrome.

Of all those words, all we understood was Down Syndrome.

What all this boiled down to is that after countless echocardiograms, cardiology visits with multiple cardiologists, and lots of worry, our son would have heart surgery on February 8, 2008.  After that surgery, we had a new child – one with energy and the desire to do more than sleep.  Now we needed to finally start focusing on his development; something we had put off while we were so focused on his heart.

Our lives took on a new definition of “normal”; our child wasn’t going to learn as fast as others.  That normal led us to a wonderful school in the Spring Branch area of Houston, Texas called The Arbor School. 

Dylan’s first day at The Arbor School was August 20, 2008.  He was 20 months old and the youngest at the school at the time.  He was at the developmental age of about three months when he started, but he just learned once he got there.  There were all sorts of milestones that other parents take for granted, but when he stacked rings, or drank out of a straw, or actually held something in both hands at the same time, we rejoiced.

His teachers were just as excited as we were.  That is one of the many wonderful things about The Arbor School – the amazing teachers love your child and relish in their accomplishments almost as much as you do.  It is so great to walk into the classroom and see Dylan’s teacher with a smile on her face just bursting to tell you what he did new that day!

This year Dylan moved up to his third class at The Arbor School (and more fabulous, loving teachers).  He has now, in only three years at the school, accomplished two years’ worth of goals and developmental milestones.

Now, Dylan is an active, energetic little boy and I don’t see anything holding him back.  He is passing developmental milestones at lightning speed…we can’t keep up with him.  We know Dylan would not be doing half of what he is doing today without The Arbor School.  We are so blessed to have found people who know how to teach our son.  Not only do they teach him, they love him, protect him, and move mountains for him.  We know that The Arbor School is setting Dylan up for future success – what more could any parent ask for!

The Arbor School, the teachers, the staff, the administration, the board, the parents, and of course, the students, are one of the best kept secrets in Houston, Texas.  We are so glad we were let in on the secret and have been able to share this amazing journey with them. We look forward to many more mountains being moved for Dylan and his classmates.  And we can’t wait to see what good comes of more funding and better opportunities for this amazing place!

With much appreciation from proud Arbor parents Meredith and Jason Smouse, Dylan’s mom and dad!

To support children like Dylan, please consider giving to our Arbor Fun Walk by visiting http://arborfunwalk.org/donate.php today!

As we continue to gear up for the big day — just nine more days — we’re featuring the many wonderful reasons you should support The Arbor Fun Walk…our amazing students!

Our next story comes from an Arbor parent, Susan Hostetler. Thanks for sharing, Susan!

My daughter Julia is 5 ½ years old and has Down Syndrome. We have been at The Arbor School for two years now. I wish we had started Julia at this school at the earliest opportunity, but I am so glad we are here now!

We started looking for a special education setting for Julia when the typical day care she was attending became too structured for her. At that day care, she was too large for the class that she fit in, and too young developmentally for her age group. Luckily my search took me to The Arbor School.

The first weeks of school were exhausting for Julia. The teachers were incredibly kind but firm with her, and it was hard work for her to follow their direction. Luckily she bonded with the teachers and that made her want to please them. Julia had to learn the very basics—sitting in a chair, playing appropriately with a toy, making eye contact with the teacher. I was relieved that Julia was learning the skills, which I did not feel able to teach on my own.

Toni, the lead teacher, had endless tools in her kit for every aspect of Julia’s education. And she needed them to address Julia’s strong-headedness. After several weeks Toni reported that Julia only got up from her seat 8 times in one minute, a 50% improvement over when she came. I was shocked: 8 times a minute was that big an improvement! The teachers had their work cut out for them!

That first year began to change our home life. Julia was able to focus on small tasks. She had learned, at school, to brush her teeth without crying. And to wash her hands. It is a bit embarrassing to admit that we taught her none of these skills, but boy did we reap the benefits!

In her second year, Julia has really taken off. Her teacher this year is Tricia. Now that Julia is able to compose herself she is acquiring skills at a much more accelerated pace. She is now spontaneously using signs and words to express herself. She has learned to use her pointer finger, and is being taught writing readiness with respect to grasping a crayon or pencil.  

It amazes me that after only three years of parenting I had begun to write off Julia’s ability to learn, because I didn’t know how to make it happen. The Arbor School is teaching Julia and giving me and Mark the tools we need to build on the lessons at school. I am so glad that we found The Arbor School, and I wish I had found it much earlier.

Thank you,

Susan Hostetler

With just 12 days to go till the 2nd Annual Arbor Fun Walk, we’re putting final touches on a plan for a fun-filled day to support the many amazing students our school so proudly serves on a daily basis. It’s no secret that we have some of the very best teachers and staff around, but ask any teacher what makes the Arbor School so special and they’ll all be quick to answer with – our students!

As we look forward to coming together for the Fun Walk next Saturday, we’ll be highlighting some of our students at the school and what being at The Arbor has meant to them and their families. Your support of the Arbor Fun Walk goes directly to helping these students receive the best education possible at The Arbor School – thank you for giving!

Our daughter Avery has an unknown genetic and neurological condition that has significantly delayed her development.  She has been attending the Arbor school for a little over a year.

Avery has always made slow progress in her development, but the pace of her social and intellectual progress has accelerated greatly since she started attending The Arbor School.  The school tailors educational and social goals for each child, and we review that progress with the teachers in regular meetings.  When we looked at a special education program with our local public school, the individual education plan would have just four or five goals for the year.  In just one year at The Arbor School, Avery has already mastered dozens of goals and is working on even more.  We are confident that much of her progress is due to the intensive, one-on-one instruction Avery receives at The Arbor School.

The Arbor School is a wonderful place for its students and their parents.  We are very thankful for the teachers and staff at the school and all they are doing for Avery.

Very truly yours,

Brennan and Helena Reilly

To donate or register for the Arbor Fun Walk and support students like Avery, please visit www.arborfunwalk.org today!