Socio-occupational integration requires the support and the guidance that the staff of Work Is Progress in El Salvador provides from an early age, also to prevent school drop-out.
Aron Alexander is 5 years old and lives in Concepción Quezaltepeque. He is a lively, curious and slightly hyperactive child. At school, Aron cannot sit at his desk, he is a concentrate of pure energy and happiness, but he is difficult to relate to. His mother, María, is worried, and Aron’s teacher suggests that she have her son followed by a psychologist, but the process of getting support from the nearest Health Clinic is complicated, because no pathology has been diagnosed to justify immediate intervention.
The teacher then puts Marìa in touch with Soleterre to take advantage of the psychological support service offered by Work Is Progress; it is through the teachers of the local primary schools that Soleterre intercepts minors in need of psychological support or of the other services provided by the Programme.
From the very first session, the psychologist who follows the child reassures Marìa: there is nothing wrong with Aron, no learning problem, but simply an energy and a desire to know that is different from other children, so strong that neither he nor his parents had the tools to channel it in the right way.
The relief for Marìa is immediate, as are her son’s behavioural improvements: already after the first sessions with the psychologist, Aron begins to socialise more calmly with the other children and the teacher and other adults notice progress in his attitude, both at home and at school. Aron’s parents have also acquired more tools and knowledge to be able to understand and relate to their son, especially at times of greater agitation, and they feel like better parents, living the present and looking to the future more serenely.
