Meet Charles
Meet Charles – Charles is a 12 year old boy, who was nonverbal as a toddler and now speaks in sentences and plays basketball.
As a toddler, Charles was not using words but pointed and used gestures. Charles’s mother had a home daycare when he was this age and he played with children of his mother’s friends who knew he had autism, as well as in church and at family gatherings. Charles enjoyed playing by spinning the wheels of toy cars and tapping on the window with his favorite toy. He received early intervention services through the CDSA, occupational therapy, and feeding therapy as he would only eat pureed foods. Charles had meltdowns at that age, but his parents would intervene if he hit or damaged something.
At around 5 years of age, Charles began to use single words. He continued to socialize with his siblings and his parents’ friends who were aware of his diagnosis of autism. His parents also continued to take him to church, parks, and family gatherings, and he attended a special education preschool classroom which also provided social opportunities. He enjoyed listening to his favorite CDs, watching DVDs and tapping along on his favorite toy. He continued to receive occupational therapy and feeding therapy as he continued to prefer to eat pureed foods. He also received speech therapy through the school district. At 5 years of age, Charles was also potty trained and began washing his hands independently.
Charles’ language progressed to using phrases and he began using gestures and pointing along with words to communicate. He continued to play with his siblings and children of family friends who were aware of his diagnosis as well as socializing at church, school, and at parks. He continued to listen to his favorite CDs and DVDs and his parents capitalized on his desire to tap to the beat to play on a drum set along with the music.
Charles now speaks in simple sentences and has greatly expanded his vocabulary. He continues to play with children of his parents’ friends and now also plays on a special needs sports league basketball team. He also attends afterschool activities and a recreational center. Charles continues to enjoy listening to music, watching his favorite shows on YouTube and playing basketball with a special needs league.