Family Stories of Students Waiting for the opening of Soaring Eagle Academy

My son is nine years old. We first discovered his communication challenges when he was two years old. He was unable to combine his single words into phrases or sentences. We began the long desperate search of therapists to help with his communication problem. We found much success with therapists who engaged in the DIR® methodology. When he went to the Early Childhood program at the public school his individual needs were not being met. It was an environment that did not foster the growth and nurturing necessary to be a successful learner. So, we have been forced to home school him in the hopes of a school opening that will meet our needs. Though it has been a very difficult struggle financially and emotionally through the use of DIR® he has learned essential skills while being nurtured by family and private therapists. We now have been finally blessed with the opportunity of Soaring Eagle Academy. We can not wait to continue our journey together with our new support system.

- Mario and Angel Filippo

Hi, we are the parents of a beautiful and loving 11 year old boy with Autism. Our son's name is Mikey and he has taught us the true meaning of love and understanding. Mikey's infancy was relatively routine, until about the age of 1, when we noticed that little speech was occurring. Of course, we questioned his pediatrician, who believed that this was not unusual for a boy, especially being a second child. At fifteen months, we were a little concerned that Mikey did not seem to hear as he should have. He would not consistently respond to his name or sounds around him. At that time we thought he was just "tuning out". By the age of two, no progress had been made. Mikey was given a hearing exam, which he passed. We returned to our Doctor, who referred us to a Neurologist, the first of three. No one was quite sure what the diagnosis should be, although Autism was mentioned by all. We were not concerned with having a definite diagnosis, but rather a treatment plan, any information or leads that could help us help our son. We were directed to a Play Therapist, which started out very well. She did follow a DIR® method and Mikey seemed to respond well. Unfortunately, we noticed that Mikey was not quite as anxious to go to therapy and asked to videotape the session. It was obvious that the therapist had started to implement a strong ABA method, one that he had a hard time dealing with. We were very fortunate that this therapist had since, referred us to an outstanding Speech Therapist who uses DIR® methodology. At the same time, Mikey was attending an Early Childhood Program through our school district. How lucky we were for him to have a teacher truly interested in each individual child. She asked if she could observe Mikey's speech therapy session and was completely impressed with the DIR® methodology. She explained that this was not a method she was exposed to in her schooling. The method is now an integral part of her Early Childhood classroom. We believe that the fundamental ideas behind DIR® are vital to our son’s progress. It gives him the opportunity to think, feel and initiate his own ideas and use those as valuable learning tools for speech, regulation and interaction with others. It is of great importance to us that this philosophy be a part of his schooling. It is, in our opinion, the most beneficial methodology for Mikey. Our little boy, who did not speak, did not make good eye contact and was not interested in others, now shares his days activites, hold our face ( to be sure that we are looking at him) and snuggles between us to watch videos. We are extremely grateful to the Speech and Occupational therapists who have worked so diligently with us and Mikey, using the DIR® methodolgy, to open the world to our beautiful son.

- Michael and Judy Maggiore

From Maryland to Chicagoland, our journey begins with and continues through Prayer and Faith. We are a solid Floortime family, my Mother, myself, and my son, Noah who is 8. Since Noah became biomedically ill as a baby, we've been led to his extraordinary healing. Through hardships, miracles are intertwined and DIR® has always been a significant part of that. Noah is an intelligent, hillarious, creative, passionate, courageous little boy who aims to please. He deserves to be treated with love, dignity, and respect. Any approach that failed to honor Noah as a wonderfully unique child, was absolutely disastrous and we suffered tremendously. Even though we lived in Maryland, few professionals had embraced Drs. Stanley Greenspan and Serena Weider's phenominal DIR®/Floortime™ methodology. I knew there must be a place in this big world where Noah would be engaged with the best practices, having joy through his achievements. I imagined his belly-aching laughter illuminating the room as he developed into the child God intended. With passion and hope, I searched for such a place tirelessly, determined we'd be a part of it. Like the one ray of sunshine beckoning through the clouds, there it was; Soaring Eagle Academy. Without hesitation, we knew this was where we were meant to be!

We've been in Chicagoland only a few weeks now, and already the light in Noah's eyes is returning. He knows he is going to "Smart School," where people are safe to love; where people know he is a wonderful little boy with many gifts inside him waiting to be unwrapped and celebrated. We firmly believe this is our destiny and that Soaring Eagle Academy will be the light that was missing in Noah's life, in all our lives. We are humbled and grateful beyond measure to be a part of this endeavor. Now, we are home.

- Mary Ann Markley