“Yesenia was always a creative child,” says Mr. Sorto of his 12-year-old daughter. “But her learning difficulties made it hard for her to learn without special help. The pandemic just made it so much harder for her to focus and learn.”
Like too many children, Yesenia struggled as she no longer had the hands-on help she once received in school, and her autism made it difficult for her to connect socially with other students through the screen. She became depressed and began to develop new behavioral health issues – including angry outbursts, crying and withdrawing from activities.
“The pandemic was leaving her behind – academically and socially,” shares Mr. Sorto.
He called their Children’s Law Center lawyer, who had helped Yesenia switch to a new school before the pandemic – one that offered specialized learning support and was committed to engaging with Mr. Sorto.
Together, we worked with Yesenia’s school to identify and implement new strategies to help her adapt. As lessons incorporated her love of art – including comic books that encouraged her to read and art class each morning – she began engaging with school again.
Today, Yesenia is once again excited to learn. “With help from her lawyers and her school, Yesenia is now active in her classes and motivated to learn – and her recent grades are A's,” shares Mr. Sorto. “The happy and energetic girl I knew is back.”
