Sing Out for Sophie
Donation protected
Sophie is a bright, loving 8-year-old little girl. Sophie loves swimming, roller skating, camping and Lalaloopsy dolls. She can name and sing any song on the radio and identify the artist who recorded it. Last year Sophie began teaching herself children's songs in other languages.
Sophie was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at age 2 and a half. She struggles daily with anxiety, physical and verbal tics, severe sensory issues, and delayed social skills. When Sophie began attending Preschool at age 3, she fell in love with learning. She was always excited to attend school and always loved her teachers, and her teachers always loved her. Sophie had positive experiences in the inclusion programs she attended in the public schools, and made many friends with both the special education and general education students. She was invited to birthday parties and playdates and always woke up joyful and ready to board the school bus for another fun day at school.
This past school year when Sophie transitioned to another public school in our town for third grade, all that changed for her. Around that time, despite our concerns, the school reduced Sophie's special education services. Very early in the school year she began to experience severe school anxiety. Every morning she would cry and beg me not to make her go to school. She would say, "Mom, everybody hates me there: all the teachers and the friends." As a single full-time working mother struggling financially, it was heartbreaking for me at times to have to physically carry her onto the bus in the morning and then have to go to work.
Sophie needs more help and support in order to succeed at school due to her significant needs relating to her disability of autism. I have appealed to the school to help us fund independent evaluations since it is something I cannot afford on my salary as a childcare worker, nor will our insurance cover the full cost. Sadly, these efforts have been met with much resistance from the school district.
Please consider Singing Out for Sophie by sharing this campaign with your friends. Any donation amount, even $5.00, is appreciated and will help to make her 4th grade year better. We would like to raise enough money to pay for independent speech and language, occupational therapy, and neuropsychological evaluations to help Sophie. We would also like to fund consultations with these independent professionals so that they can work together with the school to discover how to bring back the joy Sophie has always found in learning to her school experience in 4th grade and beyond.
I want to thank you for reading this and for any help in any way that you can give to Sophie.
Sophie was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at age 2 and a half. She struggles daily with anxiety, physical and verbal tics, severe sensory issues, and delayed social skills. When Sophie began attending Preschool at age 3, she fell in love with learning. She was always excited to attend school and always loved her teachers, and her teachers always loved her. Sophie had positive experiences in the inclusion programs she attended in the public schools, and made many friends with both the special education and general education students. She was invited to birthday parties and playdates and always woke up joyful and ready to board the school bus for another fun day at school.
This past school year when Sophie transitioned to another public school in our town for third grade, all that changed for her. Around that time, despite our concerns, the school reduced Sophie's special education services. Very early in the school year she began to experience severe school anxiety. Every morning she would cry and beg me not to make her go to school. She would say, "Mom, everybody hates me there: all the teachers and the friends." As a single full-time working mother struggling financially, it was heartbreaking for me at times to have to physically carry her onto the bus in the morning and then have to go to work.
Sophie needs more help and support in order to succeed at school due to her significant needs relating to her disability of autism. I have appealed to the school to help us fund independent evaluations since it is something I cannot afford on my salary as a childcare worker, nor will our insurance cover the full cost. Sadly, these efforts have been met with much resistance from the school district.
Please consider Singing Out for Sophie by sharing this campaign with your friends. Any donation amount, even $5.00, is appreciated and will help to make her 4th grade year better. We would like to raise enough money to pay for independent speech and language, occupational therapy, and neuropsychological evaluations to help Sophie. We would also like to fund consultations with these independent professionals so that they can work together with the school to discover how to bring back the joy Sophie has always found in learning to her school experience in 4th grade and beyond.
I want to thank you for reading this and for any help in any way that you can give to Sophie.
Organizer
Mary Ellen Jardin
Organizer
Mansfield, MA