Shawn (Age 5, He/Him)

Shawn is a very smart, happy, and funny 5 year old who doesn't let anything get in his way of what he wants, when he wants it, including making an unexpected and dramatic entrance into this world at 30 weeks. His big brother is one of his favorite people in the world.

Shawn was diagnosed with level 3 non-verbal autism at age 2. He started ABA therapy at 2 1/2 years old, attending 40 hours a week. When he started, he was not able to say any words and could only point to his wants and needs. After two and half years of ABA and the help of his AAC device, he now can and loves to chat your ear off, making sure you know your ABCs, numbers, and can tell you the full date of what today is. 

Autism has changed our lives in ways we never expected. Shawn has helped us slow down and go about life in a different way than we planned. He is a constant daily reminder to live and love life to the fullest, never caring about what others think. 

Routines are a big deal to Shawn, and changes can be challenging, but he faces them head-on. This summer was his first without a structured school setting routine, and it was a struggle. He is so happy school is back in session and is doing amazing in Kindergarten, sharing his time between his ASD classroom and general education classroom.