Meet NaVia
Meet NaVia – NaVia is a 16-year-old young lady, who is now in high school and planning to go to college. Click on each age to see NaVia at each age and stage of her life.
As a toddler, NaVia used single words to name objects and often repeated lines from cartoons. She enjoyed spending time with her family and her grandmother. She had difficulty making eye contact and had significant separation anxiety. She enjoyed playing with building toys and magnetic shapes. She was not yet receiving any services.
NaVia’s language continued to develop and she began using gibberish with one to two understandable words. She continued to spend time with her family members. Her play expanded to include role-play with miniature dolls and action figures. It was after she started daycare, that she was diagnosed with autism and started in a special education classroom. She received speech therapy through the school district and intervention sessions with TEACCH.
NaVia’s speech continued to improve and she began using complete sentences. Her social circle expanded to include scheduled activities with other children with autism. She also played Miracle League Baseball. She continued to like to spend time alone when visiting others. In school, she had pull-out support from math, reading, and writing. She also received speech and social skills support through the school. NaVia started to mimic other children, such as laughing when they laughed. She began learning to respond to her hunger and fullness cues and to stop eating when she was full.
NaVia uses complete and complex sentences at age level. She continues to have some difficulty with figurative speech and sarcasm. She chooses not to participate in extracurricular activities but spends time with family and school friends. She enjoys digital drawing. She continues to receive pull-out services for social skills and some areas of curriculum. At times, NaVia needs reassurance that she can do things on her own.