Cameron’s young life has been anything but easy. Relatives of his biological mother kept him in cage-like conditions for the first two years of his life before he was placed with Children’s Services. He suffers from bipolar disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and reactive attachment disorder in addition to autism. Tracie and her husband Terry adopted Cameron and his two sisters when he was 2.
“He’s a true success story and he’s worth every bit of it,” Tracie said.
Cameron attended their local school district through fourth grade, and had his ups and downs. Tracie fought hard to get Cameron the support and services he needed – and even enlisted the help of an attorney. Some years went smoothly, other years were a struggle. Cameron’s kindergarten through third grade teachers worked well with him, but when he repeated third grade, his old third grade teacher left the district, and Cameron had trouble adjusting to her replacement. His behaviors escalated.
“Every single day I was being called,” Tracie said. “Every single day. This continued the entire school year. They’d suspend him, they would remove him from the classroom, and he would spend multiple hours in the office, or I was to come pick him up.”
When Cameron was in fourth grade, he had a wonderful teacher, but she went on maternity leave earlier than expected, and his behavior became too much for the school to handle. He ran out of the school building, with panicked educators trying to find him. When they found him and brought him back to the school, he attacked the principal and several other students. Tracie had heard of The Learning Spectrum from Cameron’s fourth grade teacher, and had visited the Canal Winchester location on a couple of occasions. They all agreed it was time for a new setting. With the support of Cameron’s fourth grade teacher, Tracie enrolled Cameron at The Learning Spectrum in 2014, at age 11.
Thankfully, he adjusted quickly.
“They had behavioral issues, but never one time did I receive a phone call,” Tracie said. “I would receive emails telling me Cameron’s having a really good day. But on his off days, they didn’t call me to let me know these things. They would write on the end of the day report for me to look at.”
Tracie said The Learning Spectrum helped Cameron learn how to control his outbursts. Since he loved visiting the office and running the sweeper, the office visits became part of his reward system.
“They worked with him, they read him stories, they taught him how to relax. His behaviors turned around 99.9 percent,” Tracie said. “I’m so proud of what The Learning Spectrum has done with him.”
Tracie’s family moved to the Teays Valley School district this year, and Cameron has successfully transitioned back into the public school system. Tracie has received only positive behavior reports. He made the honor roll for the first time since second grade, earning one B and the rest As during his first nine weeks.
“I owe it to The Learning Spectrum – that they were able to bring Cameron through the things he couldn’t grasp,” Tracie said, adding that Cameron has learned spelling, basic life skills and the meanings behind stop signs, men and women’s bathroom signs, and more.
For parents of children on the spectrum who are struggling with their situation, Tracie has some words of advice:
“First and foremost, you have to advocate for your child’s needs and what you feel is going to benefit them the most,” she said. If putting them in a public school district and trying to mainstream them isn’t working, you need to look at all of your options.
“The goal was always to be able to get Cameron back into district placement and get him mainstreamed with typical children,” Tracie said. “I’m thankful it has worked out. I never would have believed it could work this way and this well.”
For more information about The Learning Spectrum and the programs available contact us at 614-844-5433.
Cameron’s family
Cameron having a reward lunch with Teays Valley principal
Cameron and his sisters