Stories of Hope - Dylan's Breakthrough

Dylan Stories of Hope

Dylan has been at Easter Seals Washington’s Growing Years Child Development Center since he was a toddler. As he got older and moved into preschool he started developing issues with anger and frustration that led to violent outbursts, tantrums, and immense sadness.

Suspecting Dylan may be battling something like a Sensory Processing Disorder or Autism Spectrum Disorder, the teachers and leadership team at Growing Years worked closely with Dylan’s family and outside resources to get him the assistance he needed. This included medical help, mental health evaluations, and daily interventions in the classroom. They created safe places for Dylan to escape the overwhelming times in the classroom and express his feelings. They knew they had made a breakthrough the day Dylan went directly to his classroom teacher in a moment of high stress and said “I need a break. Can I go sit with Ms. Jen? (the center director.)” This was a definite eureka moment for the Growing Years staff, Dylan, and his parents.

Dylan is now one of the older children in a preschool classroom that serves children 3 to 5 years old. He rarely has outbursts and still asks for “breaks” when he needs them. In addition, Dylan is a leader in his classroom. He helps to guide the younger children to activities and through routines, organizes games with friends, participates fully in extra-curricular activities like soccer class, and uses his words to express his feeling the majority of the time.

Easter Seals Washington’s Child Development Centers are committed to providing a diverse, inclusive environment where parents can be sure their children are well cared for and will be encouraged to reach their full potential.  By tracking developmental milestones, we identify problems that could keep a child from starting school on time and make sure they get the extra help that need to succeed. We support the needs of children of all abilities. Learn more here.

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