Name
Ashton Kyle Schneider
Location
Kalamazoo, MI
History
Birth story to age 1: Ashton was born May 20th 2016 with an uncomplicated prenatal and birth history. He was delayed meeting milestones and his eyes took longer to line up which led us to a pediatric ophthalmologist and an optic nerve hypoplasia diagnosis. An MRI showed a thin corpus callosum. After having minimal concerns with vision (20/80 visual score) we moved on to genetics as he was growing within normal limits but still not meeting milestones.
Toddler age 2-4: We received the STAG1 diagnosis when he was 1.5 years old. He started sitting on his own by age 1.5, crawling by age 2, and chewing solid food by about age 2.5. At age 2.5 he had a PICU stay where he was ventilated for two weeks after contacting RSV. We discovered a subglottic stenosis diagnosis then.
Child age 5 – Current: He received an ASD diagnosis at age four and attends ABA school to help with his communication where he uses a tablet. Ashton started walking independently at age 5.
Primary diagnosis
Hypotonia, optic nerve hypoplasia, thin corpus callosum, global developmental delays, STAG1, autism spectrum disorder.
Challenges
In the beginning, sleeping and constipation were our biggest challenges. Ashton was a hard baby and rarely slept for long period of time. Over time melatonin and constipation was monitored with miralax and diet. Recently, Communication is very hard for him and making sound is always a challenge. He squeals when he gets excited but it is hard to articulate words. He would must rather grab your hand and take you to where he wants to go or make you point at what he wants.
About Me
Ashton is one of the happiest kids we know. He is very smiley and loves to laugh. When he was one years old and we had concerns about his vision, we realized his eye sight was fine when he starting laughing out loud while watching Mr. Noodle from Sesame Street on TV. Ever since then we’ve embraced his sense of humor. He belly laughs when watching America’s Funniest Home Videos or any other slapstick comedy. He loves food and hates vegetables. His favorite activities involve watching movies, wrestling with Dad, books, and going fast in quad rides or any motor vehicle. He is an introverted and very content boy.
