Sabrina C. Charneau
École secondaire Mgr-A.-M.-Parent

School has never really been fun and games for Sabrina C. Charneau. Even at elementary school, a simple homework assignment that would have taken most pupils 10 minutes could sometimes require two hours of her time. Forced to learn to live with her learning disabilities, diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and rejected by her peers, Sabrina could have given up on numerous occasions. However, she never backed down and today, thanks to her perseverance, she is about to graduate from high school and even plans to go on to college.

The first time Sabrina C. Charneau set foot in Mgr-A.-M.-Parent high school in St-Hubert, she was already aware that it wouldn’t be easy. As she had to reinforce what she had learned in grades 5 and 6, Sabrina started off in a special needs class. When she passed her year, she went on to join a class with special support for her first year at high school, which she succeeded in completing.

But the problems resurfaced in Secondary 2. The class scapegoat, she was often the victim of mockery and was frequently rejected by her peers. These circumstances had a major impact on Sabrina’s motivation and academic results and she got more and more behind in all her subjects. It was at this moment that the school team decided to switch her to another group, putting her in a specialized class for students with an ASD. The change proved to be highly beneficial.

“I have gone through a lot of hard times in my life and there were many people who didn’t believe in me. But personally, I trusted my abilities and I just knew I could succeed. And then when I changed classes, I felt that others finally believed in me and it was really motivating,” recounts Sabrina who is now 19 years old.

Following this pivotal change, Sabrina became barely recognizable. With the support of the school staff and, above all, of her parents and two sisters, she began to enjoy school again, gradually got back on her feet and managed to make up the lost ground. Most importantly, she finally came to accept her learning disabilities and social difficulties and decided to work on herself so as to improve her situation.

“What amazes me the most about Sabrina is that she quickly understood that our interventions were for the better. Even though it sometimes made her mad, she realized that we were there to help. She also developed the reflex to ask for help and verbalise her needs, and this isn’t easy for students like Sabrina,” recounts her special needs teacher Barbara Michel.

As she increasingly began to make academic and relational progress, Sabrina even became a role model for her classmates, often offering them her assistance. “She has gained self-confidence and takes her role seriously. She’s like a teaching assistant,” Mrs. Michel adds.

Her newfound confidence even prompted Sabrina to face up to all those who had previously caused her suffering. With self-assurance, she got involved with the environmental committee at school, working with other students from the regular program and helping organize special events. Her five years as a member of the scout movement also helped her blossom, as did her job experience last summer working as a counsellor at a camp for disabled youngsters.

Sabrina now dreams of becoming a special needs teacher and is very optimistic about her future. She plans to graduate from high school next year and, with the help of her teachers, is looking into the various options open to her for her college studies. “I want to help others. I have learned a lot these past few years and I want to show other young people that they too can persevere and attain their goals. I was lucky to have been surrounded by the right people and later on this is what I want to be able to offer,” she asserts with a twinkle in her voice.

Sabrina C. Charneau
École secondaire Mgr-A.-M.-Parent