Noah’s family was introduced to Milwaukee County’s Birth to Three (B-3) Program at St. Francis Children’s Center when his doctors and parents noticed that his speech was delayed and Noah was not verbally communicating. Soon after, Noah’s mom, Rachel, also began noticing certain behaviors in Noah. “He just had different little quirks and things that he liked doing”, Rachel explained. “He would stack and line up his toys all the time, he would cover his ears or completely not be responsive to his surroundings.” Rachel’s wife, Tiffany, voiced their concerns to her own doctor who recommended a screening tool to assess Noah’s risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). After scoring a medium-level risk, Noah received a full evaluation and was diagnosed with autism at 18 months.
The B-3 Program is an early intervention program for infants and toddlers up to age three whose development indicates the need for early intervention services. Following his diagnosis, Noah’s B-3 team began forming new ways to help him overcome some of his challenges. They worked with his family to create goals for Noah, including his long-term goal to verbally communicate and short term goals such as eating from his plate. Previously, Noah would only eat certain foods, refused to eat from his plate and would not drink fluids. After working with his B-3 Teacher, Ms. Cheryl, Noah now eats from his plate and drinks fluids as long as he can use a straw. “It’s understanding what works. The little things make the biggest difference,” Rachel explained. Today, Noah is a happy toddler who loves hugs, music, and drawing! He is working on mastering how to tie his shoes, is responsive to his environment, continues to work on his verbal communication and is set to graduate from SFCC’s B-3 Program this December.
With his B-3 team’s support, Rachel and Tiffany were also able to get Noah enrolled into Milwaukee County’s Children’s Long Term Support (CLTS) Waiver Program where he will continue to receive the services he needs. “Without their [his team’s] suggestions and help, we wouldn’t have been able to access the resources we have,” Rachel said. “And I love that they have always helped me understand his needs.”