Julian & Kieran Hydro are twin 12-year-old boys living in Hunterdon County. Over the 12 years of their lives, they have faced many obstacles and adversity. The boys are neurodiverse twins who are impacted by multiple neurological disorders and learning disabilities. The boys have made significant progress through 12 years of multiple therapies with speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, behavioral therapists, counselors, case managers, and many other supporting staff.
A few weeks before the twins first birthday their father also suddenly passed away leaving his two beautiful & loved boys behind. At the age of 1 Julian and Kieran were referred to early intervention due to apparent developmental delays. Then, at the age of 3 the entered the public school system as children with a disability. At this young age I was told they would never go to college.
However, the twins continue to become the children in their classroom that will work 5 times harder than typical students, just to try to come close to what is expected. The twins are diagnosed with 3 neurological conditions and are also diagnosed with 3 language based learning disabilities. These have also manifested into many mental health needs, due to not having the correct placement and supports and being misunderstood for so long.
The twins were also not receiving equal education opportunities at school. At the age of 10 we were finally able to have Julian and Kieran placed into a proper education program. The boys’ needs continue to be vast, time consuming, costly, and draining but every time they meet a goal and acquire a new skills, we are so proud of them and very thankful.
With your support we would like to be able to continue with the twins’ multiple therapies, continue with weekly tutoring, give them inclusion opportunities with peers, build back their confidence, and continue to support their mental health needs. We would love to send them to a social skills camp and support their mental health through therapy with animals (which they love). We would also like to correct a dental anomaly that they were born with. The twins are also in need of a complete educational reevaluation soon and we would also like to have that done, to make sure they continue to receive the education they deserve.
Our main goal for our twins is for them to become independent and one day have the opportunity to move on to further education or a career that they enjoy and will be capable of because of all the support we have given them to be successful. We can’t wait to see what they will continue to accomplish & know it will be more than we were told to expect.