A Bright Mind and a Big Heart
Four-year-old Leon Harmon would rather be outside than inside. He loves trains and car racing, drawing, painting, baking, and climbing. He also loves solving multiplication and division problems that most children learn years later.
Before Shauna and Alan Harmon enrolled Leon at Frazer as a preschooler, “he had gotten kicked out of another preschool because he has autism,” Shauna explains.
At his previous school, Leon sometimes felt compelled to “elope,” or to wander off from a safe or supervised area. Elopement among people with autism might happen because they are experiencing sensory overload, having challenges communicating their needs, or because they are curious about their environment and want to explore.
Shauna is a fierce advocate for her child, willing to do whatever it takes for him to thrive. His previous school eventually required her to stay with him in the classroom to ensure he didn’t elope, but even that was not enough for them to keep Leon enrolled. “I fought the good fight,” she says, “but that school was not equipped” to help Leon succeed.
Finding a Place to Bloom
When the Harmons first toured Frazer and saw the 39-acre forest campus, they were hopeful that this would be a place where Leon could really bloom. His love of the outdoors and Frazer’s nature-based curriculum felt like the perfect match. Frazer’s Inclusion Team thought so too. Still, elopement can be a serious safety concern. As CEO DeAnna Julian told the family, “All we can do is try and see.”
When Leon started attending his new preschool class at Frazer, “he would melt down in the car,” Shauna recalls. “He was barely talking. He would have big emotional explosions and still try to run out of the class or retreat to the corner.”
At Frazer, though, Leon receives all of his therapies on site—in the classroom and in dedicated therapy spaces. This can be a game-changer for parents like the Harmons who are juggling therapy appointments around work and family schedules. Leon receives 40 hours of therapy each week, with the goal of gradually reducing that support as he becomes more independent.
Inclusion in Action
Frazer’s Inclusion Specialists, Hannah Etchison and Ignacio Mendoza, communicate with teachers, therapists, parents, and administrators to ensure that all are reinforcing the strategies that best support Leon’s growth and development. Pre-K Lead Teacher Malissa Flowers is ever ready to make adaptations in the classroom to support each child’s social-emotional learning as well as their individual strengths—like Leon’s prodigious math skills.
This “Team Leon” approach is paying off. Today, instead of morning meltdowns, Leon eagerly skips into school. Transitions from one class activity to another are becoming easier. Leon now spends the first hour of class without a therapist, managing routines alongside his peers. He speaks in full sentences, is developing friendships, and no longer feels the need to elope.
“He’s found the people who aren’t scared of him. He feels accepted and safe. Frazer truly has been life-changing for Leon and our family.”
Looking Ahead
Leon is well on his way to being kindergarten-ready. Shauna is hopeful—but also realistic—about what lies ahead. With public education facing funding cuts and reduced staffing for programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), continued advocacy will be essential.
Still, the Harmons are optimistic about the future for both Leon and his younger brother Olie, who also attends Frazer. “Olie is a social butterfly, a charmer. Leon can take something apart and put it back together,” says Shauna. “We joke that Leon will be the inventor behind the scenes, and Olie will sell it to people. We have huge dreams for them.”