Melvin Jones and his ATC Occupational Therapist, Anna White.

Meet Melvin

Charolet Jones knows what it means to be a champion. For years she has been working to improve opportunities for her grandson, Melvin, to overcome the challenges of his autism. 

When he was 12, Charolet stepped in to help Melvin get services and took responsibility for getting him to therapy appointments at ATC several times a week. Charolet even took on homeschooling Melvin because she wasn’t satisfied he was learning all he could at his public school.

When Melvin first started therapy at ATC, he had extreme self-injurious behaviors and was completely nonverbal. Now 18, Melvin has made incredible progress on his communication skills, behaviors, and academics. His grandmother taught him the alphabet and how to write his name. At ATC, he learned to communicate through an electronic tablet that he also uses for telehealth twice a week with his Speech and Occupational therapists, Emma Thomas and Anna White. 
 
Melvin is a hard worker who loves to learn and he looks forward to his therapy sessions with Miss Emma and Miss Anna. He can now take care of all his personal needs and helps Charolet around the house by cleaning up after himself and doing chores like taking out the trash, washing dishes, and putting away utensils. In therapy, he continues to work on his language skills and daily living activities. Most recently he has been working on making French fries, his favorite snack. “I am so proud of him,” says Charolet. “There was so much potential in Melvin but he wasn’t getting opportunities to show what he could do.” Thankfully, Melvin has a champion who changed all that.

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