When my son, Amin, was young he was having a lot of problems in school and I didn’t know what was wrong. He was very aggressive, mean, and violent. He would throw himself on the ground, hit his head against the wall, hit and kick his teachers, other students, and myself. His teachers made me feel like I was a horrible parent — like all of this behavior was my fault and that it was a result of me spoiling him. But I knew something else was up. I had four children before him who all went to this same school and were on the honor roll. Why was Amin not having the same success? It was a really hard time.
It got to the point where the school said if I didn’t move him to a new school he would be expelled from kindergarten. So I found a new school and he started first grade. There, his new teacher did some research to try to figure out how to deal with his behaviors. She let me know that she thought he may have austism. At that point, I sought out help. I heard about The Children’s Center through another parent at Amin’s school and decided to try it out.
At The Children’s Center, we started seeing the psychiatrists and therapists and Amin really started improving. Amin wasn’t as angry, he was nicer to those around him. He started feeling more empathy. The first time I really noticed a difference was when his older brother, Anwor, was in trouble for shoplifting. I was fed up and going to take him into the police station so he could understand the consequences of his choices. I asked the rest of the children if they thought I should give him another chance and Amin said, “I think you should give him two more chances, Mom. Because he’s my brother and I love him.” That moment was the first time he expressed love for one of his siblings and showed that he really cared. It’s such a small moment, but it meant so much to me.
Amin has also learned to socialize with other children, which he loves to do now. He loves his group therapy sessions and even playing with his younger cousins, which was never a positive experience before.
The Children’s Center has changed everything for my family. The best thing that ever happened to our family was coming here. We are so thankful.
