Giving Tuesday: Dylan’s Story
Meet Dylan, a nineteen-year-old student at Birch Family Services’ Phyllis L. Susser School for Exceptional Children, a New York State approved non-public school that provides a 12-month special education day program for students age 10-21.
Dylan came to the Susser School in February 2018 with multiple diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and developmental delays, but that hasn’t stopped him from adapting to the school’s rigorous routine and his busy therapeutic schedule. In fact, he’s got it down pat.
Each morning, Dylan walks into the classroom with a big smile on his face, checks his schedule for the day’s activities, and gets ready for his busy day ahead. As part of his school program, Dylan receives occupational and speech therapy. He also receives art therapy, music therapy, gym, and swims twice a week. During the day, Dylan’s favorite thing to do is looking through books and magazines and listening to music — “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic is his favorite song. But this hasn’t always been easy, seeing how when he first arrived at the Susser School, he had difficulty sitting still for more than a brief moment. Now, with minimal assistance, he’ll sit at his desk and work on a task for about ten minutes straight! He also loves helping with classroom clean up and riding his bicycle.
“Since Dylan was placed at Birch, we have seen Dylan become more relaxed and happy,” say Dylan’s parents. “Dylan is now able to work on life skills and is becoming more social with his peers and community, due to the patience, hard work and loving attention he has received from his staff at school and home.”
After school, Dylan returns home to the St. Nicholas Residence, a children’s residential program in Brooklyn also run by Birch Family Services. He moved there in January 2018, just before starting at the Susser School — and has adjusted positively to his new home, where he has developed special relationships with some of the staff. You can see his face light up when they walk into the room, just before he jumps up happily and runs over to greet them. When he’s having a harder day than usual these are the special staff that help him feel better and do what he needs to do.
“Since Dylan was placed at Birch, we have seen Dylan become more relaxed and happy,” say Dylan’s parents. “Dylan is now able to work on life skills and is becoming more social with his peers and community, due to the patience, hard work and loving attention he has received from his staff at school and home.”
With schools located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, Birch Family Services’ education programs provide structured learning classrooms for children with autism and global developmental delays. The classroom environment is child-centered, developmentally based, and encourages students to explore through active learning. We serve more than 1,000 children like Ava each year in our preschool and school-age programs.
In addition, our Children’s Residential Program places school-age children (10-21), with complex needs in a highly structured and integrated educational and home environment in which to develop life skills. A major goal of the program is to work closely with participants and their families to provide them with the support and understanding necessary for a successful placement and ultimate transition to adult services. Families are invited to participate in ongoing support groups facilitated by the Licensed Clinical Social Worker who works with their child and the teams at our Phyllis H. Susser School and the residence.
But the number of people who turn to Birch Family Services for support continues to grow and the need for our services is greater than ever. With your generosity, we can continue to provide the individuals and families we support with quality services, and have a lasting, positive impact on their lives.
On this Giving Tuesday, please consider making a contribution. You truly can make a difference!