Zane is diagnosed Level 2 Autism and Childhood Apraxia of Speech. He has various cognitive delays and learning disabilities not otherwise specified.
Zane was diagnosed with CAS when at 3 years old he was not yet speaking. CAS is a motor disorder where he has difficulty coordinating the motor movements needed to create words. He was also diagnosed with Level 2 Autism at 4 yrs old and this helped us to understand his special needs especially how they relate to communication. Because he has difficulty with communication, he also has difficulty with social situations. How can you be social when you can’t communicate? He has been attending the ECSE program in our school district and when they provided him with an AAC device, words started coming easier. He can approximate several words and there are some he can say very clearly now. Being able to communicate with those around him using his AAC has changed his world! He no longer sits silently in the corner of his classroom – he interacts with his peers and family and the AAC device he was provided gave him the confidence to communicate in a way that works for him.’
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