From the moment Aidan was born in 2012, he appeared to be a “normal” happy little guy. By the time he was 2, our concerns about his delayed milestones were confirmed by his pediatrician who noted he was developmentally delayed. Looking for ways to help our son, we turned to our county’s Developmental Disabilities Board seeking Early Intervention services and enrolled Aidan in the Help Me Grow program. Immediately, our Intervention Specialist mentioned a term neither one of us were prepared to hear…Autism. After diving in and reading everything we could find on Autism the signs were clear to us as well.
Through Help Me Grow, Aidan was introduced to physical, occupational and speech therapies. This led Aidan to move into private speech and OT therapy. Through his private therapy provider, he was given an official diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. In addition to limited speech, Aidan is very sensory distracted, has anxiety issues and is easily frustrated.
Since beginning a consistent therapy routine, Aidan has gone from being completely non-verbal to speaking about 25 words and attempting to repeat many words he hears. He communicates what he cannot say through his Proloquo2Go app and is very confident using it. Thankfully, Aidan has been surrounded by a very strong support team of teachers, therapists, doctors and immediate family. After meeting a family who had an autism service dog, we began to inquire, and we found W.A.G.S. 4 Kids. Adding a service dog to Aidan’s support team would benefit him tremendously by calming him when he is anxious or frustrated, refocusing his stimming behaviors and enhancing his vocabulary and social skills.
At six years old Aidan enjoys playing outside and being in the water as much as possible. He loves music, especially Katy Perry (thanks to his big sister), and his toys that make musical sounds and light up. Aidan laughs and smiles a lot and is a very affectionate kid. Come to think of it, he is a “normal” kid who just happens to have some delays and is on the Autism spectrum. But think about it, the spectrum is so broad that it could be argued that everyone is on it somewhere. We are hopeful that Aidan will continue to grow and lead a great life. Your help will assist him in continuing on this path. Thank you so much for taking the time to read a little bit about Aidan.
"Let the Magic Begin..."
In late February 2020, Aidan was introduced to service dog Buster.
Over time, their bond will continue to grow and we can't wait to see the magic unfold.
You can also mail a check to:
W.A.G.S. 4 Kids
112 E. Center Street
Berea, OH 44017
Please make a memo note that your donation is for Aidan.