Aiden Dawkins began attending the Meyer Center for Special Children in 2022. The school provides early-childhood education and therapies to children with disabilities. Dawkins is 4 years old and has Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.
Emily Dawkins, Aiden’s mother, provided a look into his day in the life at the Meyer Center.
What is Aiden’s typical routine at school?
Emily Dawkins: He rides the bus to school and then in his classroom — just like a typical preschool — they do circle time. Depending on the day, they go to the library or music or art and they’re learning things like shapes and colors. Throughout the day, he is also pulled for therapy — speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy. He gets all three of those at least two or three times a week.
What is it like for Aiden to ride the bus to school?
Emily Dawkins: His favorite thing in the whole world is riding the bus. He absolutely loves the bus. We live 30 minutes away from the Meyer Center, so it’s a drive that would be two hours’ worth of time back and forth every day. I was a little hesitant sending my 2-year-old on the bus, so we started on the bus just three days a week and quickly realized how much he loved it.
Through therapy, what has Aiden been able to accomplish?
Emily Dawkins: Last year, Aiden got a speech device. He’s learning how to communicate through that device. When he got that last year, his therapist was able to go into his classroom with him and sit with him at circle time. They do the good morning song, and everyone says everyone’s name and Aiden can use his speech device to say his own name or just say his friend’s name, which is so cool to watch.
How else has Aiden been able to progress while at the Meyer Center?
Emily Dawkins: Physically he has progressed so much. When he started at the Meyer Center, he could barely roll over. Now he does this really cool commando crawl and he’s so fast. He’s able to get himself where he wants to go even though he can’t walk, and he doesn’t sit up independently.
What is Aiden’s favorite thing to do at school?
Emily Dawkins: The indoor playground. It’s just a big room with lots of toys and things to do. He loves being in there, I think, because he has the freedom to crawl around wherever he wants. Then he also loves music. They have a music therapist who comes into the classroom, and she brings instruments and the guitar, and they get to participate and learn about instruments.
How do you feel about Aiden’s time at the Meyer Center?
Emily Dawkins: As a mom, knowing that he gets to go to school, that’s a huge blessing in itself, but he’s at a school where he also gets all his therapy. He’s at a place where he is included and he is valued and he’s loved and cared for. I can’t put a value on that because it means so much to us that he has this place where he can be included and is challenged and not held back. They push him and they want him to be the best version of Aiden that he can be just as much as we do.
