50 Faces of The Arc- Jude

Jude is a happy and social student at ODLC (Open Door Learning Center); an intentionally inclusive preschool at The Arc of Loudoun. Megan, the Program Director at ODLC says she “could cry” talking about Jude’s unbelievable progress since attending the school. Megan exclaims,

“It’s crazy to see how far she’s come! When she first started, she couldn’t say single words, and now she’s talking in full sentences. She’s also full of personality in conveying what she’s saying.”

Since attending ODLC for the past two years, Jude is now greeting her teachers and friends, telling stories about her family, and facilitating play between her peers.
Through the 1:1 ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy that ODLC provides, Jude was given the opportunity to expand her communication skills. Megan says,

“Since receiving ABA therapy her language has really blossomed. She’s able to express herself so well, and can communicate her preferences and make choices. She’s become so independent.”

Megan believes the extra coaching and teaching is what kickstarted Jude to start learning in the classroom on her own. Now, Jude prompts her peers to socially interact with each other and initiates her group of classmates to take turns,

“We’ve gone from working with her and teaching her– and now she’s the one who’s teaching her friends” states Megan.

Megan knows it’ll be hard to see Jude move on after she leaves preschool, but she’s fortunate to work at a place like The Arc where she can see the progress amongst all the students exclaiming, 

“Everybody here is so dedicated to unlocking the potential of every student who walks through these doors!”