At age 3, Derrick* was one of the youngest children ever to enter Morrison’s Hand in Hand Day Treatment program. Derrick’s dad, a drug addict, was the primary caretaker for Derrick and his baby sister—their mother was in prison. When the state Department of Human Services took over their care, both children were suffering from severe emotional and physical neglect. In fact, Derrick didn’t even know his own name.

Derrick was like a baby in a 3-year-old’s body. He could speak only a few words and had serious emotional problems. He was far too trusting—he would go anywhere with anyone. He didn’t seem to know the difference between caregivers and strangers or between safety and danger.

Derrick spent a year at Morrison, benefiting greatly from the structured classroom setting. At-home support with his foster family taught Derrick the concepts of love and positive attention. A speech and language therapist worked with him one-on-one to help him communicate better. Individual play therapy helped him work on developing social relationships– he loved to playact a “real family” with dolls. Gradually, Derrick talked about the future and about finding a new family that would love him.

Derrick recently graduated from Morrison's Hand in Hand program. He has been reunited with his younger sister and will soon be adopted. He has made huge strides in developing loving bonds with others, and he is talking, acting and playing like a healthy three-year-old.

And, most importantly, he now knows his name and that he matters in the world.

More about the Hand in Hand program that helped Derrick
Other Success Stories

* Names and certain events have been changed to maintain confidentiality and to protect the children and families we serve