Akron, OH - 01-11-2009 - The day Jaden Hubbard started preschool at the YMCA's Family Enrichment Center in South Akron, the teachers knew they had a problem.

Jaden had a neurological condition, Sturge-Weber syndrome, that left a splotchy purple birthmark on the left side of his face. It scared other children.

He didn't speak, so he couldn't express his wants and needs, which led to tantrums that frightened the staff. He would hit himself in the face, leaving bruises and bloody lips. He also hit other children.

The staff considered expelling him.

That's when Child Guidance & Family Solutions came to the rescue. The agency sent a behavior specialist to the center a few times a week to help the staff learn how to cope with problem children.

Techniques include learning to spot the early signs of meltdowns, helping 2-year-olds learn to calm themselves down and using puppets to model solutions for such common problems as two children fighting over the same toy.

''Within two weeks, this child changed like night and day,'' said YMCA director Sandy Pittman.

Read more of article by John Higgins by going to Ohio.com link under resources