Carol Whyble celebrates her son’s journey from childhood challenges to pursuing his dream of working with ocean creatures. She shares his story in hopes of inspiring other families navigating similar paths.
In the second story, Chanel George recounts her son’s incredible progress with toileting and speech, achieved through patience and perseverance. These two inspiring tales remind us of each individual’s incredible potential and how important dedication and family support are in the autism journey.
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Carol Whyble’s story: Ocean of success
My son was diagnosed just after signing him up for Kindergarten. You see, I never saw any signs of autism. He had all his milestones up to age five and six. We decided to wait and put him in school at the end of his 6-year-old mark when he turned seven years old that November.
He had many challenges in elementary and middle school, graduating from fifth to eighth grade and then entering high school.
He was interested in tennis and was part of a team through Acting Autism. He played for many years, from grade five through ten, and this helped with his balance and other abilities.
He soon wanted to think about his future job being an ocean scientist, and he wanted to work for an aquarium, teaching people about the creatures in our oceans
He graduated from high school in June 2022. We then moved to North Carolina, where we had vacationed for years, to explore his options for working for the aquarium there.
He has come a long way, and his dreams of working with ocean creatures are finally coming true. He has started volunteering for the local aquarium and working in the field he has dreamed about most of his life. I’m so very proud of him!
Chanel George’s story: Blessings in achievements
We noticed that my son was nonverbal from 3 years old. His milestones were incomplete compared to other kids. As he grew older, we started learning more about him.
Potty training was a huge issue because both my mom and my husband’s mom knew nothing about it, as they worked most of their lives. We tried many different routines for potty training and bought many potty seats.
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Until last year December, my husband dedicated his holiday to potty training him, and I assisted. He communicates when he needs to use the toilet for numbers one and two, and he has been diaper-free for months!
He also recently had a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and grommets put in his ears to improve speech and minimize infections whenever he gets sick.
Prior to this, he had been getting sick every month and needed steroids to clear it up, as antibiotics were very weak on him.
Since the surgery, he has not been ill, and his speech and pronunciation have improved a bit. He is using more words and more frequently.
Every achievement is such a blessing to us.
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