The world
would label
our Andrew
as special needs...

I tag him as special
...period.

The disability in question...

Asperger's Syndrome.

At this point we do not have the desire to send him through specialist to have him officially labeled.

Andrew has always drummed to his own beat. The things that were cutesy as an infant & tot, now are the very things that define his different-ness.

As a baby, he loved fans...but 'tremor' at his own excitement. Grandpa pointed it out to us; we thought it was cute.
As a little boy, he regularly faces tics when overly stimulated. Crowds, loud noises, the 'unknown' of circumstances, fun excitement are a few of the triggers.

As a baby, he loved car rides ONLY if no one bothered him. No talking or singing or playing with him as we did for all the other children (who hated car rides). It was common to say "Don't look at him!" as he would be content to just sit and stare at his passing surroundings.
As a little boy, he does interact some while in the car, but for longer trips is truly content to just "be".

As a tot, he loved to act out scenarios from mini cartoon clips. He couldn't talk well, but he made all the sound effects for it... it was adorable.
As a little boy, he lives in the world of ONOMATOPOEIA, that is, he sounds out many things while he plays. The action is in his head, the sounds come out his mouth. Just picture an old Batman cartoon- BAM, OOF, POW is what you hear as he acts out the scenario, only we don't always know what movie, show, or book he is acting out.

As a tot, he loved shapes, numbers, and letters. He learned them very well by sight and sound at an early age.
As a little boy, he wasn't potty-trained til almost 4, finally figured out his colors by 5, and struggles with his writing skills.


He is about 2 years behind socially, yet in some of his academic interest he is ahead
He has minimal eye contact, but will talk your ear off. =)

I have read, research, reviewed, & revised many resources on Asperger's Syndrome.
We are equiped to guide, mentor, and nurture him as needed.
I am not naive to the challenges he will face as he gets older.

~We know Andrew is special,
and lucky for him,
he has many brothers that will be his keeper.
And a sister who holds a certain level of empathy towards him also.

~Love one another with brotherly affection, giving precedence and showing honor to one another. Romans 12:10

***pictured: a sweet lil gal and Andrew playing at the park. She was kind and gentle, and they played wonderful together. Kinda reminds me of Jenny in Forrest Gump ;^)