Finding our Way: Daniel's Path to Independence

THE journey to the Vanguard Academy, a Manila-based special education school, felt like the long way home. My family and I took the "scenic route," so to speak, but the trip wasn't always pretty or pleasant, especially in the beginning. My 23-year-old son, Daniel Pike, was diagnosed with autism at three years old. Before then, he was already enrolled in a preschool I had always envisioned for my children, but it quickly became apparent that it wasn't the best fit for a child lacking language skills. The school leadership was set in its ways and couldn't or wouldn't adapt to Daniel's multifaceted learning needs, which included school, occupational therapy, speech therapy and reading intervention, which were all prescribed by developmental pediatricians and psychologists. I made Daniel cruise around this preschool until he was seven years old, mainly because I loved the music program and the lovely music teachers, who taught him how to play melodic percussion instruments and told me he had excellent tonal memory. But the other reason I stayed very long — if I'm being honest — is because I was scared about throwing him in a big school and really didn't know where to go. Despite my fears, I eventually placed him in a small grade school where the teachers were kind and the children were good to him. The school offered opportunities for small wins such as holy communion, art auctions and music contests. I left him there for four years because even if teaching neurodivergent kids wasn't that second school's specialty, it was willing to give everything a try. But eventually, things came to a point when the school said it was at a loss about how to help him thrive by its academic standards At around the same time that our journey in Daniel's second school was coming to its necessary end, I heard that Ericson Perez, the legendary learning support director of Brent International School, was putting up his own school for kids such as Daniel. I first met Ericson at a Fully Booked event where I accosted him. I told him briefly about Daniel and after a few more thorough meetings, I eagerly enrolled my son for the new school year. The changes our family observed were significant. Daniel began dressing himself, dining out became manageable, and he learned to travel safely without darting into streets or wandering off further than our line of sight. In school, he was happy, and he rekindled his love for music as the proud keyboardist of the One Hope Band, which performed at various events. When the pandemic forced a shift to online schooling, I swear I don't know how the teachers managed it, but Daniel learned and kept thriving. For two years he was motivated to attend class, see his friends and work with his teachers. I was relieved when the teachers kicked me out of the virtual classroom because my presence was distracting Daniel. During this time, I couldn't believe how much the teachers scraped off my plate, so to speak, sparing me the stress of shadowing Daniel through online classes. The pandemic ended, and the wins kept on coming. There was a prom; then, graduation and an internship. These were milestones on which I had never counted or hoped.

He transitioned into the school's Transcend program, which offered a three-track program: education, housing and employment. It was designed to empower individuals of all abilities from ages 18 and above. The program aimed to provide the right support for individuals to confidently navigate and succeed in different environments, ultimately thriving beyond perceived limitations. For the first time in our life with Daniel, I knew where we were going. Because the program involved independent living, a big part of it was about giving young adults the time to live away from home.