LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

"Before Christopher Moore became my grandson's transition coordinator, I had started to dread every school meeting. He had already spent two years in the transition program, and it felt like nothing anyone tried was working. The year before, he missed more than sixty days of school, refused to attend the program or any of his placements, and had a reputation as the most difficult student in the program. I was terrified about what would happen to him when he eventually aged out. He had been through a great deal growing up. By the time he came to live with me in Connecticut, he had very little self-confidence and had stopped caring for himself as he should. He isolated himself and seemed to believe little was waiting for him in the future.

 

When Mr. Moore began working with my grandson, he chose a different approach. Instead of immediately pushing him into another placement, he started by trying to understand him and earn his trust. It was incredibly difficult at first. My grandson struggled to get through a full day, had almost no motivation, and often became overwhelmed when expectations were placed on him. We had two emergency PPT meetings because my grandson would become upset, leave the classroom, and threaten to quit the program entirely.

 

One afternoon, he became so overwhelmed that he walked out of the school toward the highway. Mr. Moore followed slowly in his car to make sure he stayed safe until I could get there. Through it all, Mr. Moore never gave up on him. He made a plan that initially focused on something as basic as helping him become comfortable walking through the school doors again without immediately feeling pressured about work placements. Whenever he missed school, Mr. Moore called to check on him and let him know that someone noticed he was gone and cared whether he came back.

 

Over time, those conversations began to matter. Mr. Moore spent a great deal of time talking with him about his fears, frustrations, anger, and difficulty getting started when something felt overwhelming. He kept reminding my grandson of what he was capable of and celebrated even the smallest successes. He bought him clothes, shirts, and shoes when he needed them and quietly worked with him on hygiene and taking pride in his appearance. Slowly, my grandson began to see himself differently.

 

Only after months of building that relationship did Mr. Moore begin looking for placements that truly fit him rather than simply placing him wherever an opening existed. He recognized that my grandson, who is on the autism spectrum, had abilities that were easy to miss when he became overwhelmed. He often struggled when adults judged him or confronted him, but he had always shown a gentle, patient side around younger children. Mr. Moore helped him start working in elementary schools, including Hampton Elementary and Chaplin Elementary, where he discovered he could succeed in helping children.

 

Mr. Moore also arranged for him to work at a local church thrift store with kind, patient adults who accepted him. It gave my grandson another place to succeed around adults and slowly build his confidence. That was when I began seeing a completely different young man. Even success was difficult for him at first. At one point, after things had begun going well, he became so anxious that he stayed home for almost two weeks. Mr. Moore came to our house and sat down with him to talk through what was happening instead of simply allowing him to disappear from the program. He later encouraged him to study for the ParaPro Assessment and helped him prepare. He scored 478, placing him in the 98th percentile. Mr. Moore made sure the school staff knew what he had accomplished and helped others begin seeing the same ability in him that Mr. Moore had seen all along.

 

My grandson continued making progress outside of school. He worked at Holiday Hill camp over the summer, saved his money, and bought his own car. Mr. Moore came to our driveway to help him install a new battery and replace a side-view mirror so he could continue preparing for his driver's license. He taught him how to budget his earnings and save a large portion of each paycheck, and helped him understand taxes, disability paperwork, and some of the responsibilities that come with becoming an independent adult.

 

Today, my grandson is a paid part-time paraprofessional at Chaplin Elementary School and participates in work and volunteer experiences throughout the week. Even with all of this success, he still looks forward to going into school and seeing Mr. Moore so they can talk about his progress and his experiences working in special education. The grandson who once missed more than sixty days of school went on to achieve months of perfect attendance. The changes at home have been just as important to me. The constant fighting to get out of bed is gone. He takes pride in how he looks at work and how he carries himself. He talks about how differently people see him now, and our whole family has noticed the change in his confidence and motivation. There were many times when I was afraid he would never reach this point.

 

Mr. Moore saw something in my grandson when he could not yet see it in himself. He did not change him by forcing him to become someone different. He took the time to understand who he was, found places where his strengths could finally be seen, and stayed beside him through every setback until he began believing in himself. Mr. Moore is no longer simply my grandson's teacher or transition coordinator. He is someone he trusts, respects, and still turns to as he becomes more independent. Watching the young man my grandson has become, I know how much of that growth began with someone finally believing he could succeed. I cannot think of a more fitting person to be recognized as a LifeChanger," said Cannon.