Parent Testimonials

Janus Family

When a child is diagnosed with autism parents not only deal with the reality of their child’s extraordinary needs, but they also go through a grieving process for all the things their child probably won’t do. When my son was diagnosed he was three years old, largely non-verbal, and showed little interest in play and interacting with other people. I grieved over the thought that he might never tell me what he needs or how he’s feeling, I cried because he would never get married, have children, make a friend, go to a school dance, or even sass me back. In the early days of our family’s journey through autism when I looked at my son I only saw the things he wasn’t able to do. After receiving specialized intensive intervention my son is not only verbal, but downright chatty and yes, he sasses me back and I wonder why I ever wished for such a thing. He enjoys participating in typical community activities with other children, he plays games, and he has even made some friends in his class at Janus. In addition to all this Janus Academy is helping my son learn to read, do arithmetic, write, use a computer, and behave appropriately in the classroom. Now when I look at my child I see the things my son can do. Janus Academy is helping my son excel in more areas than I can possibly list. One of the most important things Janus Academy has done is to give me hope for what my son will do in the future. In only 4 years I have gone from seeing only what my child can’t do to imagining all the things he might do one day.

I was once told by a special education resource teacher that I would be much happier if I lowered my expectations of my son and what teachers and schools could reasonably offer him. I turned to Janus Academy for help because I didn’t ever want to look back and regret that my son had not been offered any and all assistance he might need to reach his maximum potential in school and in life. I knew from the first moment my son entered the classroom at Janus Academy that I had found a place where the people would understand him and his needs and stop at nothing to support his academic and social development. I am overjoyed at what Janus is doing for my son. Janus Academy has changed the trajectory of my child’s life and as a result they have also had a profound impact on the future of my entire family.

Janus Family

If one were to know our son eighteen months ago he/she would be astounded by the remarkable progress he has made in such a short period of time. Due to compromising medical issues and opinions our son received a late diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of five and did not receive Intensive Behavioural Intervention services until he was five and a half (services that he could have accessed as early as two years of age). Suffice it to say developmentally he was suffering.

With first grade fast approaching we began the search for a school that could tackle the unique learning needs that a person with autism faces. A friend of the family strongly recommended this agency. The idea of a staff to child ratio of 1:1 as well as small classroom size (average of 4-5 children per classroom) intrigues us enough to investigate. Upon taking a tour of the school and observing the teachers in action we felt that this might well be our son’s best chance at succeeding academically and more importantly, in life.

Within the first four months of attending this school he had developed the skills and knowledge he should already have possessed from four years prior (i.e. discovering ABC’s, identifying colours, learning the names of family members as well as his own). By sixmonths into the school year his vocabulary seemed to increase in leaps and bounds, forming three to five word statements, answering simple questions and following simple directions. By the end of the year he began to demonstrate very basic conversational skills while continuing to build and expand on his newly acquired knowledge. Additionally, his fine and gross motor development continued to progress, gaining confidence with every new task successfully completed. At home his social skills and play flourishes every day. He initiates play episodes with his little brother and will often join in when the little one seeks a play partner. It is as if a veil has been lifted allowing our son to venture cautiously beyond the clutches of this autism.

Compassion, patience, and genuinely viewing the tiniest of achievements as the worldliest of successes should be key personality traits of the staff. The organization’s administration and teaching staff have demonstrated this to be true. Focused on the child’s well being, communication and parent involvement remain a top priority. From Individual Program Plans to fundraising events to volunteer work with the school, parent input is vital to the end result. The staff at this agency provides an exemplary educational service that in our opinion every child with autism should be entitled to and funded for.

Our son is surpassing milestones that we were not sure he would ever reach. Our hope has been renewed regarding our son’s prognosis and for that we have the exceptionally skilled staff at Janus Academy to thank.