We will feature stories this month that inspire us...make us love the autism journey a little more!
Up now is an Olympic Athlete!
Casey is a Special Olympics Winner!
Casey’s dad started Casey’s story like many of us autism parents do “Where to begin........? Well Casey’s story starts off pretty normal, or so we thought”. Like many of our own children, “Casey was a healthy 7 pound 14 ounce beautiful blue eyed boy”.
Like Teagan, Casey was not a difficult baby but soon his parents noticed some changes. Up until a year old, Casey did “normal” baby things, however, his parents noticed his crawling came late and that delayed his walking too.
Despite this common mobility delay, Casey was always aware of his surroundings and had great eye contact…but soon everything changed. Like many of us, Casey’s parents chalked it up to a “late bloomer”. But as the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months, Casey’s development got slower and slower.
Being the first child in the family, his parents were not really sure what to expect and did not totally clue in to the delays as a major problem or a clue of what was to come. It was not until Casey was 2.5 years old that his parents finally heard the word come from a health care professional’s mouth. AUSTIM! Casey’s mom “looked at her [the nurse] and said NO!!” Soon that statement turned to “OUR SON HAS AUTISM!!!”
And that my folks started Casey and his parent’s journey in Autism. Casey’s dad described him and his wife as having “blinders” on, but I am certain it is just a lack of understand that they once had that contributed to them never realizing that Casey had Autism. I know I can relate to that. But at that moment when it all became so clear, Casey’s dad described my own families journey in autism the same “the world ended, time stopped, the tears flowed, then we went into education mode. What is this condition, how do we fix it, how do we make our baby better”.
Sadly, as we all know oh to well there is no magic pill or quick fix but there are a lot of tools and techniques that can help kids like Teagan and Casey. Although it was a rocky start, Casey was enrolled in school but the battle did not end there. The program was not designed for individuals with autism so finally at age 5 his parents found a program that worked for Casey and he flourished.
As the months turned into years, Casey was soon sent to a special needs camp and “it changed his life. He found out he was not alone in the world and there were others like him. After a week of camp he was forever changed. He was a different kid when he came home, happy, vocal, and just "better". He goes back every year; and every year he gets better”, according to Casey’s dad.
And if all this is not inspiring enough, Casey soon started competing in Special Olympics. He is a competitor in the 50 meter walk and the shot put. The challenge of Special Olympics has pushed him; and so far he has risen to the challenge. Although Casey has made some tremendous strides he still struggles at home, school, and in public from time to time. But just as other Warrior Parents have reported, Casey’s dad wants everyone to realize that “being nonverbal and not being able to communicate fully your needs and wants would push any person to the edge.” Casey and his parents have learned their own set of “special signs and communicate a lot through technology via iPods and tablets as well as good old fashion pen and paper”.
And in the words of his dad “without a doubt he is my hero and I am his biggest fan. "
Casey is Team Teagan’s hero too!
If you enjoyed this story about Casey, join us on Team Teagan at https://www.facebook.com/TXTeamTeagan/
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