Meet Nolan
Nolan is a young, joyous boy with Williams Syndrome. Williams Syndrome (WS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by distinct facial features and developmental delays.
Although his mother, Megan, sensed there was something different about Nolan when he was just a newborn baby, he was officially diagnosed with Williams Syndrome when he was 11 months old. His parents, Megan and Brandon, admit that they were left feeling depressed, angry, scared, and in a state of denial.
Nolan has a love for animals and is involved in Horse Therapy as his EA suggested. He really enjoys spending time with horses, and is now able to ride a horse all on his own. This is also helping him learn more “social and academic skills”, as his mother explains.
Although his mother, Megan, sensed there was something different about Nolan when he was just a newborn baby, he was officially diagnosed with Williams Syndrome when he was 11 months old. His parents, Megan and Brandon, admit that they were left feeling depressed, angry, scared, and in a state of denial.
Nolan has a love for animals and is involved in Horse Therapy as his EA suggested. He really enjoys spending time with horses, and is now able to ride a horse all on his own. This is also helping him learn more “social and academic skills”, as his mother explains.
Megan and Brandon describe Nolan as an incredibly social and friendly boy. He is joyous, always smiling and has no prejudice against anyone. Nolan’s language ability has improved drastically as he grew older, especially with the support of the speech therapist. Nolan has also developed a love for music. He sings often and does really well at recognizing familiar and unfamiliar sounds.
One of Nolan’s best qualities is his ability to be very empathetic. Megan mentioned that Nolan often reminds her to be happy, and usually sheds tears when he sees her cry. Nolan spends a lot of his free time playing with his two older sisters. Although not fully comprehending the characteristics of their brother’s disorder and why their parents spend much more time on energy on him, the girls behave very lovingly to Nolan and get along well in play.
One of Nolan’s best qualities is his ability to be very empathetic. Megan mentioned that Nolan often reminds her to be happy, and usually sheds tears when he sees her cry. Nolan spends a lot of his free time playing with his two older sisters. Although not fully comprehending the characteristics of their brother’s disorder and why their parents spend much more time on energy on him, the girls behave very lovingly to Nolan and get along well in play.
Challenges
Nolan’s exceptionality has caused him to face several challenges including gross motor and fine motor skills and speech. He has had a team of therapists working with him since at a very young age. This includes ongoing speech therapy and intensive physical therapy in his especially in the first 3 years of his life. Nolan continues to receive a tremendous amount of support from his parents, teachers, and therapists to overcome the various challenges.
His other challenges include medical conditions leading to Nolan having many appointments, seeing many specialists and going through many surgeries, such as cranial reconstruction. Nolan was also diagnosed with heart conditions including a mild aortic stenosis and a moderate mitral valve stenosis and leakage.
His other challenges include medical conditions leading to Nolan having many appointments, seeing many specialists and going through many surgeries, such as cranial reconstruction. Nolan was also diagnosed with heart conditions including a mild aortic stenosis and a moderate mitral valve stenosis and leakage.
Nolan's Schooling Journey Thus Far...
Nolan attended a developmental preschool two mornings a week for two years. At the age of 5, worried that he was not ready for a classroom setting, his parents decided to delay his starting KG for a year. His preschool teacher and speech therapists advised for Nolan to enter a pre-kindergarten program in the meantime. Only 8 days into the program, Nolan was asked to not return. His distractibility and high energy ‘did not fit the mold’ of this preschool. The parents were then encouraged to enroll Nolan in kindergarten after understanding that there would be more availability of resources to help him. Two weeks later, with much difficulty in making this decision, Nolan started kindergarten.
This series of transitions in Nolan’s education was overwhelming to both him and his parents. He had difficulty adjusting to the many changes between developmental preschool, the pre-KG program, and finally entering kindergarten. Parents and professionals involved in Nolan’s life continue to struggle in aiding his development as he has a very short attention span and is easily distracted. It is sill unknown what triggers his unstable personality.
This series of transitions in Nolan’s education was overwhelming to both him and his parents. He had difficulty adjusting to the many changes between developmental preschool, the pre-KG program, and finally entering kindergarten. Parents and professionals involved in Nolan’s life continue to struggle in aiding his development as he has a very short attention span and is easily distracted. It is sill unknown what triggers his unstable personality.
Paschal, M. (2014). Megs Five. Retrieved July 21, 2015, from http://megsfive.blogspot.ca