Finding His Voice: How Family-Centered Support Helped Adnan Build Confidence and Connection
Updated: 1 day ago
For Sameena and her son, Adnan, progress has meant finding new ways to communicate, manage big emotions, and navigate experiences that once felt overwhelming.
Adnan is 16 and has an intellectual disability and PACS1 syndrome. During Fred Finch’s 11th Annual Impact Celebration, Sameena shared that her son was the first person in the United States and the third person in the world identified with PACS1 syndrome. For Sameena, balancing Adnan’s medical needs and his big feelings could feel overwhelming.
“Traditional methods just didn’t work for him,” she shared.
For the past several years, Adnan and his family have received support through Fred Finch’s East Bay Wraparound Program, a family-centered, community-based program designed to strengthen families and support youth in building wellness, resilience, and stability.
Rather than relying solely on traditional case management, East Bay Wraparound brings together a Child and Family Team that works with each family to identify priorities and develop an individualized plan. Services can include counseling, behavioral interventions, safety planning, family and individual coaching, medication support, and connections to community resources, as well as support related to education, housing, and vocational needs.
For Adnan and his family, the work began with building foundational tools to help him feel calm and safe.
His team developed a sensory diet, anxiety plan, and behavioral plan, while practicing calming exercises and using positive reinforcement. They also gradually introduced situations that had previously caused significant distress, helping Adnan become more comfortable navigating them over time.
One of the most meaningful areas of progress has been communication.
Adnan uses an AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) device with WordPower 60. He initially used simple words to express basic needs and emotions, such as “mad,” “sad,” “happy,” “fine,” and “silly.”
Over time, he learned to communicate deeper feelings and describe what he was experiencing through his device instead of reacting physically when he became overwhelmed.
For Sameena, that progress has changed what is possible for her son and their family.
“Thank you for supporting us and seeing my child, not just his disability.”— Sameena, Adnan’s mother
The skills Adnan developed with the support of his family and care team are now helping him navigate the world beyond the clinical setting.
Appointments that once caused intense panic have become more manageable. With support from his Fred Finch team, Adnan has made meaningful progress in navigating medical and dental appointments, including successfully going through the casting process for an AFO (ankle-foot orthosis)—a procedure that previously required anesthesia.
His family has also developed a shared approach that brings home, school, and clinical settings onto the same page.
“Our family finally has a plan that brings everyone at home, at clinic, and at school onto the same page,” Sameena said.
She also expressed her gratitude to the East Bay Wraparound team members who supported their family, including Sandra, Ruby, Talia, and Nicole.
“You helped us in our darkest times, and I really, really appreciate that,” she said.
Adnan also shared his own perspective during the Impact Celebration, using his communication device to tell the audience about his progress.
He described working on using his words and his device when he feels sick, mad, or hyper, rather than simply reacting with his body.
“Things are changing, and it feels cool.”
Being out in the community, which once felt overwhelming, has also become more manageable.
And one of Adnan’s favorite examples of his progress is something many people might take for granted: eating out.
“Eating out was impossible, but now I can sit down at a restaurant and enjoy ice cream.”
For Adnan, that is a huge win. He has also discovered strategies that help him reset when he feels overwhelmed.
“Music helps me reset.”
These moments—communicating a feeling, getting through a medical appointment, sitting in a restaurant, enjoying ice cream, or finding a way to calm down—represent meaningful milestones for Adnan and his family.
They also demonstrate the value of family-centered care that looks beyond a diagnosis to understand a young person's strengths, needs, goals, and potential.
For Sameena, having a team alongside her family has made a lasting difference.
“Thank you for supporting us and seeing my child, not just his disability.”
At Fred Finch, we are honored to walk alongside families like Sameena and Adnan's as they build confidence, resilience, connection, and new possibilities for the future.
Watch Adnan and Sameena Share Their Story
Learn how Fred Finch's East Bay Wraparound services helped Adnan build communication skills, manage anxiety, navigate medical appointments, and gain confidence in his community. Hear directly from Adnan and Sameena about their experience and the difference family-centered support has made in their lives.
Learn About East Bay Wraparound
Families deserve support that sees the whole person—not just a diagnosis. Fred Finch's California High Fidelity Wraparound Certified by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) brings families, caregivers, and their support networks together to create individualized plans that build on a young person's strengths, address their needs, and support their goals at home, at school, and in the community.
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