A special life

...He uses a wheelchair, has limited upper body mobility and, with the exception of a few words like maw-maw and mama, is nonverbal.He's learned to communicate somewhat through gestures - a rub of his tummy means he's hungry and a thumbs up means yes, or that he likes what he sees or hears.Tyler has Asperger's syndrome.

Associated with the autism spectrum disorder, his brain struggles to sort all the stimuli and information he encounters in a regular day.

Multi-tasking is not an option for Tyler.In fact, he gets so overwhelmed when amidst scurried activity that it forces him to retreat to solitude.

He doesn't feel pain like most teens his age and therefore is unaffected by the consequences of pain.He has a large, formal vocabulary and is talented musically, playing the drums, harmonica and guitar by ear.

He's hoping to get a banjo soon.

His mother, Sandra, calls it "his latest fascination."He also has a fascination with vacuum cleaners and can repair most any problem that crops up inone of his four vacuums.Tyler has been missing his friend, Noah, lately.Noah can't finish the school year because he's recovering from a February surgery to fuse his spine.

Steel rods and hooks were placed along his spine to straighten it.

Hopefully, it will prolong his life.

It was his 21st surgery.Though Noah has been out of the school setting for two months, Tyler still goes to school every day asking the teachers whe...

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