Even if you've never been formally introduced to Ryan, you probably know his big, beautiful smile, or have been the recipient of his catch phrase, "You're crushing it!" As one of the teachers recalls, "My favorite memory of [Ryan] is him walking into school everyday telling everyone, staff and students, that they were 'crushing it!' Car rides were also a highlight and seeing his awesome dance moves to his favorite radio station, 95.7 The Party!"
Ryan came to TJS when he was in the 8th grade. Prior to attending TJS, Ryan was in a public school setting, where they could not meet his complex needs. Around that same time, Ryan was diagnosed with agenesis of the corpus callosum and autism. His parents had to search out-of-district to find the best place for him. His parents told TJS, "The challenges that we have had over the years have been numerous, but we have been able to overcome them all. God has always watched over Ryan and when challenges occurred, solutions were always provided. The greatest challenge was when Ryan was in the public school system. While they had good intentions, they could not get a grasp on him and what he needed in order to succeed. Our struggle to get him to TJS was great and led to years of advocacy and meetings."
Ryan entered TJS with volatile behaviors. The TJS team quickly and thoughtfully put together a behavioral intervention plan in place. His parents said, "As a result of this, Ryan's extreme behaviors were significantly reduced within the first six months [of being at TJS]." During his time at TJS, he's worked so hard and our team couldn't be more proud. His teacher says, "I was most proud of seeing [Ryan] independently work hard at each vocational site he went to. He was always open to any and all the job tasks asked of him, with no complaints and completed the job tasks with little to no help. He's such a hard, dedicated worker!"
Ryan graduated in December 2022 from TJS. His plans for the future? Helping in both the School-Age and Transition programs, shredding papers, putting away groceries, and delivering mail. We are so excited to see his face on a daily basis.
*Read more about Ryan's full story in our 2019 Impact Brochure.
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