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Caleb May Not Be Verbal, But He Can Speak
Caleb Downs
The first thing that you may notice about 9 year old Caleb Downs is that he doesn’t smile, but this doesn’t keep him from showing how much he enjoys life. Caleb was born with a neurological  condition called Moebius Syndrome that affects the movement of his facial muscles, his ability to move his eyes and problems with eating. Caleb also is nonverbal autistic, meaning he also doesn’t use words for communication & has problems with social interactions among other things. Caleb’s days at North Shelby School begin and end with a hug for his teacher, Mrs. Leslie Lowrance. His father says that  he is very compassionate and loving toward other people, especially once he gets to know them. Caleb is spending his days in the Primary 4 class at North Shelby School working on  emerging literacy skills. Due to being nonverbal, he uses communication boards to answer questions. Nancy Nation, Assistant Principal at North Shelby, says that Caleb and some of his classmates are learning to use adaptive keyboard and special pencils in order to complete assignments and learn real life skills. He also loves his Clifford the Big Red Dog books. Mrs. Lowrance says that he is becoming more independent now about exploring the room and that she, along with everyone else that works with him at the school, as well as his family are really proud of him for the progress he continues to make at school and at home. At home, he enjoys watching NASCAR, playing with water bottles and anything that goes in circles or spins. Some of his current fascinations are with projected lights, soft textures and occasionally cute, blonde girls at the horse arena near his extended family’s homes. He also loves his DVDs and can usually be seen carrying one with him, even if he is watching another one. Caleb is also a Hickory Crawdads fan and attends every game he can with his father. He is also usually up for a game (or ten) of “Itsy Bitsy Spider” with almost anyone that will play with him. This is a big accomplishment for Caleb, since he is just now becoming more interactive with people he may see every day. Caleb’s father says that he is impressed with his son because no matter what obstacle he faces he always tries his best to overcome it. Mrs. Lowrance says the one phrase that people should remember when thinking about Caleb is “I may not be verbal but I can speak”. Caleb is the son of Donnie Downs of Casar and Rhonda Diane Downs of Kings Mountain.
To learn more about Moebius Syndrome, visit www.moebiussyndrome.com
For more information about Autism, you can visit www.autismspeaks.org
Information about North Shelby School can be found at http://www.clevelandcountyschools.org/schools/nss/ or by calling the school at 704-487-9941.
–Provided by Dawn Downs

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