Success Stories
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Christian's Story
Christian was not talking and had a hard time socializing when he entered Little Red. Frustration was a problem. Christian did well at Little Red and I got lots of input from the teacher and therapists to update us on his progress. The therapy notes were especially helpful. Christian now talks non-stop and has lots of friends at school. His speech is at the 3-year level at 3 1/2 years old! He is no longer frustrated. He's a lot happier now!
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Joel's Story
Joel started at Little Red School House at 5 weeks old. Joel could not see, and had difficulty eating and swallowing. He had low muscle tone and could not hold up his head.
"They knew what I needed before I needed it and they had someone who did it!"
Now Joel is in mainstream education (4th grade) and plays with typical peers and holds his own. At the Neurologist office recently he sat down and used his laptop computer to type a message to the doctor! "Excuse me, Dr. Glass, you are one smooth looking dude!"
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Ryan's Story
We were concerned that Ryan's development was delayed, and we brought him to Little Red for an evaluation. Ryan had very few language skills when he entered Little Red. He also struggled with emotional regulation and sensory challenges.
We were so impressed with the evaluation process and how the team of teachers and therapists at Little Red identified Ryan's strengths and challenges in a caring and sensitive way. They helped set high but attainable goals for him, and found creative and fun ways to integrate those skills in a natural play setting.
Our team maintained constant communication related to his progress. Ryan has made remarkable progress. Under the caring guidance of his teachers and therapists, Ryan can now communicate more effectively and can handle frustrations better. His motor skills have improved, as well as his social skills with peers and other adults.
Ryan loves coming to Little Red and has had such a positive experience there. Our family can't begin to describe the gratitude we feel, having had this wonderful experience.
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Kagley Family Story
I first came into contact with Little Red 5 years ago. It is hard to believe it has been that long! We returned to the Seattle area from rural Oregon to obtain services for our special great nephew, Ethan. Little Red provided OT/PT and so much more for our little guy. We came to view the therapists as extended family. I strongly believe that through their efforts, Ethan has achieved his potential. Little Red also helped obtain equipment for Ethan, especially a hospital-style bed. Knowing he was safe at night allowed us to get first full nights of sleep in years!
Our son Braden also joined the pre-school as typically developing peer. He then began receiving speech therapy services. He is almost 7 and still refers to Dee Dee as his "most favoritest teacher ever".Little Red has also provided pre-school, speech and other services to two of our foster girls Ariel and Gabi. They thrived socially, emotionally and academically at Little Red.
So as you can see Little Red is a family affair for us, and we over the years we have made the bowling charity a community event. I refer every child who needs "a little help" to Little Red and would love to share our story. -
James's Story
James started at Little Red when he was 9 weeks old. A social worker gave the us information when he was born with Down Syndrome. We also had knowledge that Little Red had a good reputation in the community. We started with the parent/infant group and then had motor therapy later. In speech therapy, he learned signs and words to communicate.
From our intake meeting to his 3rd birthday, James' therapists and teachers, along with the rest of the staff, embraced him and us as part of their family. We would count on the therapists and teachers for answers to our questions, support for our concerns, and celebration of daily and weekly triumphs. Everyone helped James with great care, but also cared for us and helped us know how to help James to progress.
James started walking in November 2005, right before his brother was born. He now initiates communication to let us know what he wants. He will bring us to the TV and tell us "Elmo!" to request his favorite video. He is helpful around the house. James loves to play with dolls, books, dress up and make believe. He loves the new kitchen set he got for Christmas.
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Maddie's Story
Maddie was 8 months old when she entered the program at Little Red. She was referred to Little Red by our pediatrician because she was not rolling over and her muscles were very stiff. She was obviously not developing at the rate of an average 8 month year old.
We have had an amazing experience at Little Red. Everyone has been incredibly supportive during our journey. The therapists and teachers are fabulous. They are Experts in their fields and it shows. We are so lucky to have been referred to such a great place.
Maddie is a different little girl now. The day after Thanksgiving she took her first independent steps and four days later she starting walking everywhere! We were so impressed that she did it before her second birthday. Maddie is learning new words everyday and is starting to sing. We couldn't be happier with her progress and thank Little Red for helping her so much.
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Charlie's Story
As a result of brain hypoxia & seizure at birth, Charlie exhibited developmental delays in many areas. When he started at Little Red he was a year old, unable to hold himself up, crawl, hold objects in his hands, he had minimal vocalizations, he was not able to pull himself up or stand, and could not feed himself finger foods. Seizure concern needed monitoring.
Our hearts are filled with gratitude to all the caring staff at Little Red. We have no doubt that Charlie's progress in the past 2 years is directly related to the dedication of each staff person who has worked with Charlie. Little Red is a true answer to prayer for us.
Charlie is a totally different child from the one who first started at Little Red- once very still, and lethargic to engage or act. A little guy - he is now a very motivated boy who crawls all over, uses his hands to feed himself, plays with toys and is seizure free. He expresses himself with more vocalizing each day, as well as with his voice output device. He drinks from a straw (he was so thrilled when he started doing this!), he has a love for playing in the tub (thanks to hydrotherapy!), his social skills have grown as a result of his great class/play group experience- and now he is not as fearful/resistant to joining into play settings anymore. The ultimate joy we have is seeing the "Life" in Charlie's eyes now and to receive his kisses & hugs & back massages!
We are so thankful and appreciative to the support we as parents have also received at Little Red. Many tears have been shed as we have seen our son struggle to achieve various goals but they can't compare to the tears of joy as we see him continue to progress and we will forever be grateful to the staff at Little Red who have played a crucial role in Charlie's success.
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Brandon's Story
Our son's name is Brandon. He started at Little Red School House when he was 4 months old. He was born with cataracts, which were removed at birth, and left him virtually blind. He wore contacts from that day on. He also as born with hypotonia, or low muscle tone. When he started at Little Red, he as literally skin and bones, with very little muscle mass. He couldn't lift his head, or lift his arms, or legs.
Our therapist was amazing. She cared for Brandon as if he was her own, and helped me deal with everything at the same time. We soon discovered my son had a stubborn streak, and would either fall asleep, cry, or just completely refuse to do anything we wanted him to do, until he was ready to do it, which as exactly when we stopped trying. I am a 1st time mom, so all of this was so new to me, and very frightening. But everyone at Little Red was so understanding and kind.
As the month's went by, he started lifting his head more and rolling over and move around as other babies did, just a little later than normal. Then he started crawling, and pulling up, and eventually walking while holding onto something. He was also in the group therapy class with other kids his age. It was great to see him start to interact with the other kids. We started speech therapy when he was about 2 years old, and he immediately was connected to his speech therapist. The bond that was between the two of them was something I had never experienced before. Now he's an energetic, bright 3-year-old with tons of energy. He's not quite walking by himself yet, but he uses a walker and doesn't let anything stand in his way of getting and going where he wants.
I truly don't know where he would be had we not gone to Little Red School House. I know that Brandon's progress is in very large part due to the caring, committed, knowledgeable staff at Little Red. I have always called them Brandon's angels, because the work they do for kids is truly a gift.
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Ashton's Story
Ashton entered Little Red School House when he was 18 months old. He had no verbal language and had difficulty engaging with adults and peers. Ashton received the diagnosis of Autism.
Ashton began attending the Developmental Learning Group and received both occupational and speech-language therapy. He was also participating in a research study of Autism and intervention through the Early Education Unit at the University of Washington.
By the time he was approaching age three, he had made significant progress and had all of his teachers and therapists were simply amazed! He was communicating verbally in phrases, beginning to interact with peers (e.g., protesting their actions, establishing ownership), and also demonstrating a fun sense of humor. He is now receiving services through the school district and is continuing the research study through the UW.
Little Red staff helped ME a lot; showing me ideas and ways to work with him. It was so nice to have people to communicate with on a daily basis.
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Bradley's Story
When Bradley first came to Little Red, he wasn't talking at all. He had poor eye contact and there were concerns about his hearing and development. We were living in the unknown and were very scared and concerned for him. He also could not hold his attention to anything, he couldn't sit in circle, focus with the group, etc.
His teacher told us that there were some "flags" in Bradley for Autism. We took him to Children's Hospital and he was diagnosed. Everything Children's suggested we do was already being done at Little Red School House. Bradley was steps ahead because of this early intervention.
He is now talking (some words) in a limited way, and he is more in control; he is able to sit in group and follow along. Little Red has been a God send to me! I am extremely grateful for their help and support. Family members who haven't seen Bradley for a while are amazed by his great progress in such a short amount of time. I can't say enough good things about the great work being done at Little Red School House.
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Logan's Story
Logan had a stroke at birth and his first seizure at five minutes old. He started at Little Red School House at 16 months of age and was only saying "ah ah" at that time.
He received individual speech therapy and attended the toddler play group. As he got older, he moved into the developmental play group to support his social and cognitive development as well as work on using his words with peers. Later, motor therapy was added to address his fine motor and gross motor development. We were totally thrilled with Little Red. Logan really enjoyed coming to Little Red and I enjoyed coming with him. It really helped with his speech and social skills. We wouldn't have been able to afford to send him to a regular preschool. Little Red's classroom really helped Logan to learn to be social with other kids.
He is almost five years old, and continues to take medicine to control his seizures, but still has them occasionally. He had a big vocabulary when he left Little Red School House. He was saying three word phrases and following the classroom routine. Logan currently attends a developmental preschool program to continue to develop his skills. He is excited to go to kindergarten and talks about it all the time with us. Logan has always loved numbers and letters. He can count to 50 now and can write "Mom" and "Dad" and his name. Logan has a great sense of humor and loves to make his little sister laugh.
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Tavian's Story
Tavian was initially referred to Little Red School House when he was 20 months old, due to concerns with his speech and language development. Tavian began attending the developmental learning group and received speech language therapy. While in the classroom setting, his teacher and therapist started noticing that he had difficulties interacting socially. He often withdrew from social experiences, became anxious and overwhelmed, and preferred to play alone. As the observations became clear, we learned how to become advocates for Tavian, and sought out more information regarding his challenges and how to find additional support within the community.
Within three-five months to before turning age three, Tavian became much more confident and vocal, and with the support of trusted adults, he began interacting with peers! He was also communicating verbally in phrases, beginning to establish boundaries with peers, and had just started initiating play with peers. We would not have noticed Tavian's social difficulties without the experiences at Little Red School House. Without the Developmental Learning Group, Tavian would not have had the same opportunities with peers and we would not have seen the other challenges he faced. We realized how all areas of development interact and affect each other, such as language delay interfering with social-emotional interaction. Tavian presently is three years old and receiving services through the school district and has continued other programs in the community?nd is doing great!
