Alumni Student: 2006-2009
At 18 months, Hudson was not speaking at all, not even saying mom or dad. While his parents, Laurie and Alfredo, were told to “give him time” and “boys are often delayed,” Laurie knew she needed to act early and persisted with having Hudson evaluated. After a series of tests, the family was referred to a speech therapist.
A friend recommended The Parish School, and the couple enrolled Hudson soon after his second birthday. He loved going to school each day, especially music and art. Eventually, Hudson was talking up a storm.
“Most importantly, the school took my husband and me under its wings,” said Laurie. “We were scared and felt helpless. We attended parent education classes, met with his teachers and his speech therapist. We were given the tools we needed to be one of the many advocates in Hudson’s life.”
After 3 years at The Parish School, Hudson transitioned to a traditional school setting, while continuing to attend speech therapy, occupational therapy and Social Learning groups at The Parish School and The Carruth Center.
Hudson has since gone on to prove he has a talent for being on-stage. He is actively involved in musicals, ballet and even participated in his school’s ComedySportz® Improv. He attends Houston Christian High School, where he joined theater, dance and Model UN. He has also taken Spanish throughout school and will begin AP Spanish this fall. Laurie says, “his accent is excellent!”
The Gutierrez family has continued to remain highly involved with The Parish School. Laurie is an active member of the Parish board of trustees, and the family hosted former Head of School, Nancy Bewley’s retirement party in their home last year. Additionally, Hudson has spent his past five summers volunteering in classes at The Parish School’s summer program – Camp Acorn.
“I really like working with the kids at camp,” said Hudson. “It feels nice to provide the help here because I went through the same thing when I was a kid.”
“The Parish School and The Carruth Center have had an instrumental impact on the success that Hudson is experiencing,” adds Laurie. “We are indebted to the school for giving Hudson and us the skills needed to enable Hudson to be successful in life.”
