Shared by his mother, Aneesah
Yaseen excelled at Mindstretch. He came to us early, which certainly helped, along with his inherent abilities. We’re proud to see Yaseen achieve mainstream placement. And we appreciate his parents seeking early intervention.
Yaseen is Diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum
As a parent of a special needs child, I remember clearly the first day my husband and I met Jennifer from Mindstretch School.
Yaseen was just over 2 years old at the time. It was a very stressful and confusing time for my husband and me because Yaseen had just been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder by a neuro-developmental pediatrician. Although we always knew at the back of our minds that Yaseen was different, it was tough to put a name to it. Also, we did not want to ‘label’ him.
Yaseen was attending a crèche in Rondebosch at the time. He was very happy there, but as parents we knew we had to do more for him. We were concerned about his social skills and interaction with others. He also had a speech delay and had high sensory needs, which led to ‘stimming’. The staff at the crèche did not know how to manage this.
"Stimming involves the repetitive performance of certain physical movements or vocalizations. It is thought to serve a variety of functions, such as calming and expression of feelings."
Our Pediatrician Recommends Mindstretch School
Yaseen’s pediatrician recommended Mindstretch and that is when we looked for the school and reached out to Jennifer.
We did not fully understand Yaseen’s stimming behaviour. It was all new to us. “Why is he flapping his hands and humming?” or “Can he speak?” were questions frequently asked by people and even by family.
I remember feeling so much more at ease after meeting Jennifer. She made us feel that everything was going to be okay. We learned about the specific techniques that we could use to manage Yaseen’s stimming. Jennifer was also able to explain why he had the sensory-seeking behaviours. It helped us understand Yaseen better. The warmth and passion come through immediately. We knew that Yaseen would thrive at Mindstretch as his needs would be understood and managed accordingly.
It was the best decision we made for Yaseen to put him into this beautiful school. Mindstretch is not just a school but a family. There’s wonderful love and care shown by all teachers and staff. Yaseen loved the school and all of his teachers.
“Mindstretch is not just a school but a family. There’s wonderful love and care shown by all teachers and staff.”
Yaseen Excelled at Mindstretch School
Jennifer contacted me towards the end of Yaseen’s first year. He was to start the Grade RR class the next year and he was placed there for a settling in period during the final term.
The school set up a meeting after the Yaseen’s term in Grade RR. Jennifer mentioned that she felt Yaseen would cope in the Remedial Grade R class in the new year. She asked how I felt about moving him into to the more senior class.
I had complete trust in Jennifer’s judgment and went with her decision to put Yaseen in Grade R even though he was only 5 years old at the time. This was a key turning point in Yaseen’s journey through autism. We’ve never looked back since.
Yaseen excelled in all areas. He could read well at age 5 and his social skills were greatly improved. There was also an improvement in his maturity levels, because he was interacting with older children.
Teachers Lucia and Pam were the best. I can’t emphasize the positive impact they had on Yaseen’s Mindstretch experience. They genuinely loved and cared for our son.
Yaseen's Future is Unfolding Wonderfully
Yaseen is now in Grade 1 at a mainstream school, the Olive Learning Centre. He’s doing very well.
Still, we miss the Mindstretch magic. We’ll forever be grateful for the best foundation Yaseen could ever have received at this amazing school.
Thank you to Principal Jennifer and the awesome team. Because of you Yaseen excelled at Mindstretch School. You’ve touched our lives and hearts forever.
Experts Recommend Early Intervention
Mindstretch admits children from age 2.5 years. Please Contact Us for more information.
Read our article Act Early for Maximum Impact to learn about the benefits of early intervention. Or take a look at this article from autismspeaks.org: Study Finds Early Intervention Highly Effective.
The experts say to start intervention as early as possible. So true, and yet it’s also never too late to start.
The ‘Mindstretch Way’ moves from labelling to enabling. We help children reach their potential. Yaseen excelled at Mindstretch, your child can too.
