Shared by his mother, Arline
Seth was 2 and attending a daycare in Pinelands when the Principal approached us, worried about his development. He had been at the daycare since he was 4 months. He was a happy child who loved playing with his friends, but he had a speech delay and used only one word at the time. We were a bit worried.
We consulted a neuro-paediatrician and the diagnosis was out: Seth was on the autistic spectrum. It’s scary news for parents. There’s a lot to process. We pursued all the recommendations to give Seth a fighting chance. He began weekly speech therapy and had a remedial assistant. Mid-year we were told Seth could not continue at the daycare. We had to find a different school.
I stumbled upon the Mindstretch website and studied it closely to see if the preschool might be a fit. I spoke to Jennifer and she was so understanding, offering to let me bring Seth for a trial, to see if he liked the environment. Now a thing about Seth, he settles when he feels warmth and love. The day we met Jennifer and Michelle (who would become his teacher), Seth co-operated with them, started playing and didn’t even want to leave. That was 2017. Seth enrolled for 2018.
My husband and I were nervous, what if our son didn’t adapt? But, after just 2 months, Seth began to express himself freely with two or more words. He was excited to go to school, and we received frequent updates during the day on what the kids were learning.
Our son was happy, he was progressing, and we could relax a little. Every day was a step in the right direction.

Jennifer kept us updated. She knows every child at her school, their personalities and what makes them tick. She uses this knowledge to approach each child according to their needs. She always praises them. We were not the only ones noticing Seth’s progress. Family and friends saw the difference too.
Seth progressed to the Grade R amended class in 2019 with teacher Roxanne, another passionate teacher who loved my child and encouraged him like her own. Each day Seth returned home and told me of his school adventures.
We had Seth re-evaluated in early 2019. We were moving in the right direction. With all the work done, it was established that Seth had ADHD, not autism. We were relieved. Now we knew why Seth struggled to focus and was so energetic. But a new challenge arose. After much consideration we opted to trial Ritalin at a minimal dose for 2 weeks. Mindstretch were so accommodating. The teachers evaluated Seth and followed up with me regularly. We saw Seth was coping and improving his focus. We didn’t want to change him or see him become a zombie. The medication worked at the low dose and so we continued it.
Then came 2020, a very difficult year for everybody given the pandemic. Seth started Grade R with teacher Pam. He knew Pam from aftercare and had no problems adjusting. She was yet another Mindstretch teacher who loved my child like her own. Then Covid-19 and lockdown happened. We were all forced to stay home and isolate.
Jennifer and the teachers continuously provided updates, along with activity sheets and work to keep the kids busy. They called regularly. When it was safe to do so, Seth met with a new teacher as Pam was on maternity leave having given birth to a baby during the pandemic. Like the others, Nicky was another gem of teacher. When we had our first feedback session with Nicky, we found that Seth could read. So little time and so much done, we were very impressed. Though teaching continued well, the safety of the kids was always the main concern at Mindstretch.
Then, in 2021, it was time for Seth to move to Grade 1. It took some time for us to find placement at a school with the same high quality of teaching as Mindstretch. Finally we enrolled Seth at Curro Burgundy. We are confident that all Seth was taught at Mindstretch will take him a long way, not just in academics but on the social side too.
We are happy that Seth is progressing, but also very much sad that the time has come to leave Mindstretch. Jennifer and the teachers have provided us an invaluable service. I look at Seth today and see how different he is from the shy boy who could not talk in 2017. Now he is a mature 7-year old, with excellent social skills and a bunch of good friends.
We feel so lucky that we could begin Seth’s educational journey at Mindstretch School.
Our family cannot thank you guys enough for all the support, dedication and love in helping our son.
Arline, Dale & Seth
Through early intervention we can maximize the benefits to a child. This was the case for Seth. Learn more in our article Act Early for Maximum Impact.