Ellis (update)

We featured Ellis last year and we are so excited to share a  family update because of all of the strides that he has been making this year! The family has been involved with FEATT for a few years now and they appreciate the many resources and information they can access.

Ellis will be 10 this month. He experiences ADHD, SPD, GAD and PTSD*. He lives with his custodial grandparents, Kathy and Terry, and they do their best to navigate all of the visitation and decision making. He was in the TLC program for almost 2 years and while the first year was great, they pulled him out in March of his second year because it was not a good fit anymore.

At first they tried a charter school but that wasn’t a good fit either because of all of the required screen time. He was miserable. Despite some self doubt, they decided to try their hands at traditional homeschooling. They knew it would be tough with all of his parental visitation schedules, but so far it has worked out and Ellis is thriving. They found that if they give him individual attention he is a quick learner and his intelligence can shine. With the flexibility of homeschooling, they can give him all of the sensory breaks he needs for him to self-regulate.

It helped the process that Ellis’ therapist and the staff at TLC were all in agreement with his schooling changes and have continued to be supportive. He is now mostly on track with his peers, with just a few struggles when anything involves writing. Because of this they have another evaluation coming up to test for dysgraphia. It seems to be physically painful for him to write despite years of Occupational Therapy. With homeschooling they can adjust all of the curriculum to better suit his needs and abilities and work around the writing parts. Everyone involved is constantly learning and evolving to meet his changing needs. 

Ellis is thriving in school work. As with most of our kids during COVID, the biggest challenge now is the social aspect. Before the shutdowns, Ellis participated in various team sports. If the weather is nice they like to play outside with the frisbee or beanbag toss. He likes to go to the skating rink when it's open and River Forks is one of his favorite parks. 

The biggest change in the last year has been homeschooling but other than that, they have managed to keep everything else as consistent as possible. He has so much support from his family! His grandparents help with school. His aunts and uncles are always willing to step in. He has a tribe of people in the extended family that would do anything for him. 

In this last year they wanted to fill any educational gaps he may have had from being in a behavior oriented classroom, so they did refresher courses for 2nd and 3rd grades before going on. This helped Ellis gain confidence, discovering that he knew a lot more than he thought. It was a confidence boost that everyone needed!

Kathy says she has learned that they can, indeed help him learn at home. They have learned so much about how to accommodate him without going overboard. She says Ellis is a very strong minded, kind and empathetic child. They admire how he manages to stay humble and kind in a situation that many adults would find hard to navigate. In the last year meltdowns are fewer and less frequent. Having him at home they have learned to read his cues and understand when he can do more and when he can’t. The best part is getting to know him on such a different level!

* ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), GAD (General Anxiety Disorder), PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)