Stories of Potential

There's just something about the solar system that fascinates me. It started when I was about five years old. I couldn't get enough of books and computer programs about planets, moons, and stars. I was even interested in model rockets because, in life-size form, they created a path to the great Milky Way.

Mealtimes can be a source of tension for many families with young children. From cajoling finicky eaters to eat their broccoli to battling restless youngsters who simply refuse to sit at the table and finish their dinner, parents can face an uphill battle when it comes to feeding their children balanced meals every day.

Most 18-year-old girls love to talk. Maggie Piet is no exception. She just uses modern technology to do so.

The lobby of the ice rink hums with excitement as children laugh and talk while their parents bundle them up and help them get their skates on. In one corner, a little boy grins from ear to ear as his dad helps him to his feet and his mom snaps photo after photo. Across the room, another mom keeps a careful eye on her son as he practices walking in his skates, one hand on the wall for stability.

Every month, I meet my best friends for dinner where we get to catch up with each other. Then we go to Circle of Friends, a part of Kennedy Krieger's Brightside mentoring program, where we learn about friendship and how to socialize with other people. I am 25 years old, and I have Down syndrome, which means that I was born with 22 chromosomes instead of 21.

As 6-year-old Cameron Mott sings and dances her way around her family's North Carolina living room, it's obvious she has some serious star power. But things weren't always this way. At age three she started having seizures and was diagnosed with cortical dysplasia, an abnormality in the development of the cerebral cortex.

"She was having six to 10 seizures a day," says her dad, Casey. The seizures robbed Cameron's family of their little girl. Every morning she was clear and bright, but then the first seizure would hit. Cameron would lose consciousness and fall to the floor.

Having a child with special needs often makes parents feel as though they are spending their lives driving from one specialist to another, trapped in waiting rooms, and filling out forms. It was no different for John and Amy Thompson. Their son Jake was diagnosed with Rasmussen's syndrome, a brain disorder that causes seizures.

When Jeffery and Rebekah Fish found out that they were going to have a baby, they were understandably thrilled.

"Even before she was born, we sang to the baby," says Jeffery. "We named her ahead of time." They had big dreams for Laura, but they also wanted that most basic of things: a happy, healthy baby girl. That was not to be.

Buenos días. Gracias por llamar al Kennedy Krieger Institute. ¿Cómo le puedo ayudar?

If the line of text above is confusing, imagine living in a world where every word, every conversation is a mystery. Imagine needing services but not being able to access them because you don't speak the language.

Bryan's teachers were at a loss for how to help him when he hid under his desk or back in the cubby area and cried. They knew he had been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; dysgraphia, a learning disability that affects writing abilities; and Asperger syndrome, but they didn't know how to deal with those diagnoses or what the best ways to teach him were.