A Brave Heart Triumphing Over Challenges Meet Jonah Mason
T
BY ANDREA HURR
here doesn’t ever seem to be a one-size-fits-all diagnosis for a child in the special needs community, and there isn’t a onesize-fits-all treatment plan either. Jessica Mason knows this all too well in regards to her son Jonah and she has taken a multifaceted approach to helping him. 10-year-old Jonah who aspires to become a firefighter paramedic one day, has encountered many hurdles and struggles in his life so far. Jonah has autism, ADHD, and was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 4. His family describes him as “someone who has multiple colanders on his head, one for each condition. The little information that was getting through was funneled through the multiple colanders making it hard for him to learn and grow.” Jonah was struggling in public school as he was getting lost in the shuffle and his needs were not being met. Adding to that was a pandemic with virtual classrooms which did not
58
February 2024
work for him. This left both child and parents exceptionally frustrated. However, Jonah’s parents refused to give up and sought change. Enter Julie Billiart School in Akron and their lives were changed for the better. Jonah started there halfway through first grade. Where previously he was struggling with reading, writing, and cognitive thinking, now he is thriving- reading, writing, and getting the support and help he needs to learn and grow. “Finding a school that is supportive and understands his needs was the best thing to happen to Jonah and our family,” says Jessica. Julie Billiart is a school that nurtures and empowers students with learning and social differences. Julie Billiart recognizes and celebrates the fact that success looks different for every student, according to their website. Another part of their multifaceted approach involves a controversial treatment that has been extremely beneficial for Jonah.
