July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Siefring honored for achievement
Fort student earns award
By By Virginia Cline-
FORT RECOVERY — Jacob Siefring, who will be a second grade student this fall at Fort Recovery Elementary School, will be honored Thursday by the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities.
The 8-year-old has fragile X syndrome and is unable to talk.
Fragile X is a heredi-tary/genetic condition, which includes fragile X syndrome. Subtle learning disabilities and delays in speech and language development are some of the problems associated with this condition, according to the National Fragile X Foundation web site.
Siefring was diagnosed with fragile X while in pre-school at Fort Recovery Schools when teacher Mary Diller suggested he get tested because his speech hadn’t developed.
“I think she changed the path for him,” his mother Elaine Siefring said recently. He now uses an electronic communication device, with which he is able to type complete sentences.
Siefring, his mother and father Neal Siefring will attend an awards luncheon in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday, where the youth will be presented with the R.A. Horn Award for outstanding achievement in special education.
He was nominated for the award by his principal Nancy Knapke. “We are proud of him,” Knapke said in a recent letter to The Commercial Review.
“I’m happy. I liked it,” he communicated — with his mom’s help — when asked how he felt about being nominated for the award.
He and his family live on a dairy farm in New Weston, Ohio, where he helps his dad with the chores. He is currently wearing a cast on his leg, and when asked what happened, he typed, “Dad run over (with) skid loader.”
After answering a few more questions, Siefring, like most 8-year-olds, eagerly went off to watch cartoons on TV.
At this time, there is no cure for fragile X syndrome. However, special education and speech, language and occupational therapy have been beneficial, the web site states.
Siefring will be in second grade in a regular classroom this fall at Fort Recovery and will also spend approximately 45 minutes each day in a special education classroom.
His mother can’t say enough good things about the teachers in the Fort Recovery School system.
“I think the teachers deserve a lot of the credit. They’ve all believed in him, and that made all the difference,” she said. “They have been behind us 100 percent of the way.”[[In-content Ad]]
The 8-year-old has fragile X syndrome and is unable to talk.
Fragile X is a heredi-tary/genetic condition, which includes fragile X syndrome. Subtle learning disabilities and delays in speech and language development are some of the problems associated with this condition, according to the National Fragile X Foundation web site.
Siefring was diagnosed with fragile X while in pre-school at Fort Recovery Schools when teacher Mary Diller suggested he get tested because his speech hadn’t developed.
“I think she changed the path for him,” his mother Elaine Siefring said recently. He now uses an electronic communication device, with which he is able to type complete sentences.
Siefring, his mother and father Neal Siefring will attend an awards luncheon in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday, where the youth will be presented with the R.A. Horn Award for outstanding achievement in special education.
He was nominated for the award by his principal Nancy Knapke. “We are proud of him,” Knapke said in a recent letter to The Commercial Review.
“I’m happy. I liked it,” he communicated — with his mom’s help — when asked how he felt about being nominated for the award.
He and his family live on a dairy farm in New Weston, Ohio, where he helps his dad with the chores. He is currently wearing a cast on his leg, and when asked what happened, he typed, “Dad run over (with) skid loader.”
After answering a few more questions, Siefring, like most 8-year-olds, eagerly went off to watch cartoons on TV.
At this time, there is no cure for fragile X syndrome. However, special education and speech, language and occupational therapy have been beneficial, the web site states.
Siefring will be in second grade in a regular classroom this fall at Fort Recovery and will also spend approximately 45 minutes each day in a special education classroom.
His mother can’t say enough good things about the teachers in the Fort Recovery School system.
“I think the teachers deserve a lot of the credit. They’ve all believed in him, and that made all the difference,” she said. “They have been behind us 100 percent of the way.”[[In-content Ad]]
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