Melissa & Jason's Story

Jason was born with a rare genetic disorder that left him unable to control his behavior. Four months ago, he was a nine-year-old whose violent tantrums were frightening to his sisters and his mom, Melissa. Today, he’s a happier boy with a more confident and happier mom.

His transformation is the result of the work of the staffers of the Family Support Services program (FSS) supervised by Dynetta Clark. FSS assists families of children with physical or developmental disabilities.

“Melissa was a dedicated mother at her wits end,” says Clark, a social worker with the agency for seven years. “The beauty of the FSS program is that parents direct our work. They invite us into their homes.” We watched Jason interact with his family and listened to Melissa’s concerns. We offered our observations. In this case, we encouraged Melissa to pick her battles with Jason—like not always insisting that he wear shoes outside—which could trigger a tantrum.

Together, they created a daily routine for Jason—school time, snack time, play time, dinner time, bedtime.That made him feel less anxious and has brought relative peace to the household.

“Our job is to help Melissa establish the boundaries she wants. Sure, we can give advice, but Jason is her son,” says Clark. “We never lose sight of that.”

Clark loves her job and enjoys watching the progress of her children. “Jason is no angel, but in four months his tantrums are shorter and less violent. He and Melissa look forward to our visits. These are small victories, I know, but in our work, baby steps are big steps.”