Empowered to Thrive: Ian’s Story with The Centre for Dreams

The Early Years

There is a Chinese saying that your life will be good if you have a daughter and son because the Chinese character for good (好) is formed together by the characters for girl (女) and boy (子). As a young mother, I was very excited when Ian was born. Together with his older sister, our family finally felt complete.

At birth, everything seemed normal. He was a sleepy baby, but as he grew, he started having trouble sleeping and would run over to our bed with wide-open eyes. By the time he turned one, he still wasn’t verbal, and we raised our concerns with our family doctor who referred us to a paediatrician. The pediatrician recommended he enrol into daycare immediately to help him develop better communication and social skills. With the help of daycare and early intervention speech therapy, he slowly improved. However, he had a short attention span, and when he turned four, he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and was prescribed medication.

When Life Changed

Around that same time, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I often him took him along with me to see my Chinese medicine doctor, who did acupuncture. Ian also got acupuncture done, and it traumatized him. I look back on this as a turning point for his development. He suddenly stopped speaking, only mumbling, and lost all eye contact. It felt like he was a completely different person.

Ian was eventually diagnosed with autism. He was no longer able to communicate and only expressed himself through tantrums. He required a lot of patience and care, and I had to learn to accept that Ian was special and even the smallest step forward for him would bring us joy. During early childhood, we found Ian a respite worker who was very patient with him and taught him a lot about behaviours and communication.

A Difficult Transition to Hope

Transition is always the hardest stage for children with autism. Moving from elementary to high school already takes time to adjust, let alone the big transition after graduation into a Day Program. On top of that, Ian’s graduation happened during the COVID years, which made finding a Day Program willing to accept him even more difficult.

Fortunately, his high school teacher recommended Center for Dreams and encouraged me to reach out. Kyle responded quickly to my email, and Ian went for a trial. Of course, there was still a transition period, and they could only officially accept him once a spot became available. During that waiting time, I tried sending Ian to different day programs, but each one eventually asked him to leave because they could not manage his needs. Finally, in November, Center for Dreams had an opening. I started gradually leaving Ian there, though I was always worried he might cause trouble.

In the beginning, whenever I asked what Ian had done that day, the staff would always tell me he just played puzzles by himself. Slowly, though, he started showing some disruptive behaviors—like shutting down computers or switching off the power while others were working. Every time I went to pick him up, I felt anxious, worrying that he had caused more trouble.

A consultant from Mackenzie Health’s Centre for Behavioural Health Sciences then became involved. Michelle and her team worked closely with the consultant, collecting data and attending meetings to support him.

From Weakness to Strength

I’ll never forget the moment last year when Michelle suddenly called me over as I was picking up Ian. My heart sank—I thought Ian must have caused trouble again. But instead, she told me that Ian had now become the Inspector of the centre, responsible for checking the electrical panels and fire safety equipment. I almost burst into tears, because they had managed to turn what used to be his weakness into a strength. They never give up on my son.

With their patience and guidance, Ian transformed from a withdrawn boy who never joined activities into a true member of Center for Dreams.

Ian treasures every moment at Dreams. From the excitement of the Santa Claus Parade to the thrill of a Blue Jays game, and the wonder of watching eggs hatch—each experience has brought him so much joy.

The changes we see at Dreams are also reflected in our daily life at home. We used to worry constantly that he might break things, but now, he communicates with us instead. Whenever he notices a burnt-out light bulb or something broken, he would tell us instead of acting on his own and damaging it further. As he communicates more with us, we naturally feel much more at ease.

This year he got a Don Weldon Award for recognition of going beyond his learning plan at Center for Dreams’ award night. This gave me so much comfort and gratitude, and I am truly thankful to all the staff at Center for Dreams for their patience and acceptance of Ian from the heart.

The Impact

The impact of Center for Dreams on our lives is beyond words. They have given Ian not only opportunities but also dignity, belonging, and purpose. For our family, this has meant hope, relief, and joy in watching him grow into the person he is today.