Alumni Success Story

We take much pride in the success of our students as they leave our programs.  For the first time in our history, we are able to witness tangible success in our students, as many are moving on to lead productive and independent lives.  Here is an example of one of our students who has made great strides in his social and academic development.
   
Spotlight on An Alumnus:

Jonathan Davis enrolled in the School for Language and Communication Development when he was two years old. 

He was suffering from a severe language disorder affecting the pragmatic, semantic and syntactic components of his communication development.  He demonstrated a limited ability to request and describe social experiences interactions with peers. 

Finally, Jonathan had trouble forming words on his own and would repeat everything he heard as a way of communicating. This is a small part of the full disability Jonathan has overcome. 

Through SLCD's intensive therapeutic programming as well as parent workshops, extracurricular activities and years of hard work, Jonathan has found his voice and has never looked back.

Throughout his educational career, Jonathan has continuously beaten the odds, accomplishing things many 'mainstream' students can only dream of.  He has been awarded the National Junior Honor Society Award and the National Physical Fitness Award, to name a few.  This was quite an accomplishment for a young man who was classified as "Speech Impaired" until the sixth grade when he was integrated back into a mainstream classroom.

Today, Jonathan  has graduated Summa Cum Laude from Howard University.  His aspiration is to work for major newspapers such as the Washington Post to cover sport events.  An article entitled A Personal Journey: From Special Ed to College Graduation by Jonathan was published by the New Pittsburgh Courier shortly before his graduation.

If Jonathan's story teaches us anything, it is that these types of disorders can be overcome.  Sometimes it's not an easy journey, other times it seems impossible.  But, with the right program and a lot of heart, anything is possible.

Congratulations, Jonathan, for all of your achievements.  We are proud that you are a graduate of SLCD who will be advocating for children in the future.  We look forward to watching you call the plays on ESPN very soon.