noah's story

Noah, our little man {also known as pudge} was two weeks early, and with a seven hour total delivery - I'd say he was ready to be a part of this world. The first couple of months for Noah were rough. He was chronically constipated and was diagnosed with silent reflux. Both of which caused him to be very uncomfortable and colicky. Once he was put on Prilosec {anti -acid meds} he was a whole different baby. He stayed on this medication for about three months. Once his reflux was under control by the medication and by eating baby foods, and constipation improved by removing dairy, Noah was a pretty happy and content kid.

When he was around nine months old, I started to recognize that he was a little different from other babies I'd been around. He would bounce himself in his bouncy chair, and I mean bounce! And he would do it for very long periods of time. He also was constantly chewing. His shirts and bibs mostly, but it was excessive. Noah was and still is sensitive to sudden loud sounds, mostly from other kids. He also didn't babble much, he just made sounds, tons of them.

Starting solid foods was a huge struggle to overcome. He would gag at the sight of foods, especially anything "squishy." Sometimes it was to the point that he would make himself throw up. It wasn't the easiest of times, but we got through it. Noah was also extremely clumsy, and that is something we noticed when he finally started crawling at twelve months. He would run into the walls and constantly seemed like he didn't know where he was in space. Once he started walking at twenty months, we found out that Noah had low muscle tone {hypotonia}. We began physical and occupational therapy to help with his stability and eating struggles, both of which were great help. He also ended up wearing SMO braces for over a year to help support his ankles and create an arch in his foot, which he was lacking.

Noah did special education preschool for a year and a half and but does not attend public school at this time. He currently attends a full time ABA therapy clinic. This therapy has been the best therapy for him as he continues to make amazing progress in all his programs.

Noah is a happy, silly kid who prefers to be home with his two favorite people -- mom + dad. He enjoys spinning, dancing, get tickles + squeezes, and exploring the outdoors. He absolutely loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and has since he was a few months old. Mickey will always be his number one, but some other faves are Puppy Dog Pals, Pj masks, Dory, and Shrek. He also loves any and all nursery rhymes!

Noah can get easily frustrated and will either engage in a head banging behavior, scream, or simply leave the situation. Since he is nonverbal, he has an extremely hard time communicating his needs. This is something we're working on every single day. We use a "talker" an AAC device, and Noah is making amazing progress using this. I am very hopeful soon enough he will be using his talker independently to communicate his wants and needs to us, which I'm confident will lessen his frustrations.

This little one has climbed so many mountains in his short four years, but always perseveres. He is so loved, and he has a whole village behind him. Supporting him and who will never stop believing in him.

Noah was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, level 2, October 2017. And with ASD level 3 in September 2019.