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Inspirational Graduation for Boy with Autism & Down's Syndrome

201 views · Published 24 June 2016 · 14:15 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: Autism Live · 2016 · Education

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All Blanca Duran wanted for her son Caleb was for him to have a positive educational experience and to have place where he could feel like he belonged. When that wasn’t happening at his middle school, Blanca made the tough decision to homeschool.

Caleb, now getting ready to enter high school, has Down’s Syndrome and was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of 13. Caleb finished his 8th grade studies recently and his entire family was excited to watch him graduate with the rest of his homeschool classmates. Then came the bad news that his school did not feel that Caleb should attend his graduation. Their official reason was they feared it would be “too stressful” for Caleb. Blanca asked them to reconsider and suggested that there were several graduation rehearsals and she begged for Caleb to be able to attend those as a trial to see that he could and should be able to attend his own graduation. The school was adamant, but suggested that Blanca would need to go further up the chain of command to get permission for Caleb to come to his graduation.

Caleb’s family was devastated. Earlier in the week they had received news that Caleb would not be able to participate on his YMCA’s swim team either. It seemed that no matter how hard they tried no one was willing to give Caleb a chance.

Blanca took Caleb to his center based ABA services and found herself asking for a therapy session during Caleb’s graduation ceremony; if he couldn’t graduate with his peers, at least he could be doing something positive. Kim Tran, the Operations Manager for the Santa Fe Springs office of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), asked Blanca why Caleb wouldn’t be at graduation. Blanca tearfully told Tran why they wouldn’t be celebrating Caleb’s day the way they had planned. Tran did her best to comfort Blanca but couldn’t shake the feeling that something needed to be done.

The next day when Blanca dropped Caleb off at the center Kim Tran was ready for her. “She told me that CARD wanted to hold a graduation for Caleb.” Blanca says. “From the beginning CARD has been a breath of fresh air. All I wanted was for us to show Caleb, this is how we celebrate your day; this is how we celebrate you! CARD gave us a way to do that.”

Blanca and her entire family dressed for the occasion and the entire center participated in the ceremony. “It was for Caleb, but the other children learned about how to celebrate as well. It was a Win-Win-Win.” says Caleb’s proud mom. “Our kids rise and shine when they are given the right support. CARD did that for Caleb.”

Autism Live is a production of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), headquartered in Woodland Hills, California, and with offices throughout, the United States and around the globe. For more information on therapy for autism and other related disorders, visit the CARD website at http://centerforautism.com

Inspirational Graduation for Boy with Autism & Down's Syndrome

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