William* is five – he likes superheroes, Lego, Mo Willems books, and the Wolfpack. William was struggling with the structure of preschool and having a hard time making connections with his peers. He was introduced to Lucy Daniels Center (LDC) one year ago when he attended First Friends – a social skills program for children ages 3-6 who need help with joining play, establishing or maintaining friendships, and participating in group activities. Through First Friends, William’s family had access to therapists and special education teachers who helped assess his social, emotional, and academic functioning to paint a clear picture of William’s strengths and challenges. Through this process LDC clinicians and educators identified early warning symptoms of anxiety and OCD; they were able to help William’s family make a clear plan for supporting his needs in a school setting and provided options for the parents to consider.
William’s family decided to enroll him in Lucy Daniels School (LDS) to benefit from the small class sizes, access to LDC clinicians, and LDS teacher expertise in working with children needing wraparound mental health support.
When he first started school, William had significant separation anxiety when away from the family home and would often be extremely distressed throughout the day at the thought of what his mother and younger siblings were doing without him. He was concerned that something bad would happen in his absence, especially to his youngest sister who was just 6 months old. He had a strong fixation on safety, and was extremely risk-avoidant, which often presented itself through trying to dictate the behaviors of his classmates along with tantrums followed by becoming withdrawn.
Through work in the classroom and with his therapist William is starting to blossom- he is learning how to safely explore and navigate the world around him, how to recognize when his fears are holding him back, and finding pride and comfort in his burgeoning autonomy. He understands how to identify the emotions he’s feeling and is using teacher help to help work through strong emotions. At Lucy Daniels School, William would never be labeled as “misbehaving,” “naughty,” or “just needing attention” because the teachers look beyond behavior to understand his distress, to see his highest strivings for himself, and his wish to make his parents proud. They help William make sense of things when he gets mixed up inside.
In Kindergarten, William is already figuring out the things he needs to be successful both in school and at home, which will help set him up for further success as he learns, grows, and becomes the leader we can already see emerging in this bright, curious child.
William is just one in over 500 children that we see at LDC every year, but there are so many more out there who would benefit from our services. In 2025 we will be opening our brand new $3.6 million outpatient integrated care clinic here on the LDC campus that will enable us to serve more than 1,500 young people and their families every year. We’re $500,000 from our goal as of today – help us to help children like William and donate to our Every Child Counts campaign today. Together we can provide the support that lets children enjoy their childhood and set them up for future success.
