Sawyer’s Story

Staring at a page of a Pokémon book, Sawyer shakes and lifts his arms and legs, and waves his hands excitedly, appearing as if he’s break dancing. If he could, he would continue pouring over the book for most of the day – never eating, drinking or moving from that one spot in the living room.

“Sawyer, one more minute and then we have to put the book away, OK?” his aide, Bridget says.

“Yeah.’’ His gaze stays on the page featuring one of the countless Pokemon characters – all of whose name and characteristics he’s memorized.

When a minute or so is up, Bridget gently reaches for his hands as she tries to guide him back to the other side of the living room, back to the exercise they had been working on.

The first word Sawyer spoke was “robot.’’ A robot was on television and another was in a book he had seen. He was 19 months old and had made only cooing sounds before that. Sawyer’s parents were dumbfounded that he could make those connections and could actually speak.

At a little over age 2, Sawyer was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is 7 now and works with an aide in his Bexley home several hours a week after school where he’s accompanied by a different aide. He and his aide work on identifying words and other skills. He practices responding to people who talk to him and calming his occasional urges to flail his arms and legs or cry when he’s frustrated.

Sawyer’s parents, Amy and Eric, focus on the progress they have seen in Sawyer in recent years, in part because of the teachers, therapists and aides he works with, in part because they have learned how to best support Sawyer. He has learned to speak in full sentences, have conversations and look up and respond when someone calls his name. Not so long ago, when asked to stop looking at a book, Sawyer would often scream, cry and sometimes drop to the floor. That seldom happens now.

“The world isn’t going to change for him,’’ Amy points out. “The people at Nationwide Children’s Hospital are giving him tools for better surviving and thriving in the world.”

Sawyer has a great sense of humor. He is one of the most affectionate people you’ll ever meet. He loves to travel. He is a wonderful big brother, as well as little brother.

“His Autism diagnosis is clinical, but the care the team shows towards him is personal. We couldn’t be happier with his progress and know that his future is bright thanks to the work his amazing team at Nationwide Children’s put in for him every single day,” says Amy. Sawyer and his family are looking forward to motivating and inspiring all of the participants in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & ½ Marathon.

 

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  • Name: Sawyer G.Sawyer Gohs
  • Condition(s): Autism
  • Age at Treatment: 2
  • Age Today: 12/22/200815 Years

Staring at a page of a Pokémon book, Sawyer shakes and lifts his arms and legs, and waves his hands excitedly, appearing as if he’s break dancing. If he could, he would continue pouring over the book for most of the day – never eating, drinking or moving from that one spot in the living room.

“Sawyer, one more minute and then we have to put the book away, OK?” his aide, Bridget says.

“Yeah.’’ His gaze stays on the page featuring one of the countless Pokemon characters – all of whose name and characteristics he’s memorized.

When a minute or so is up, Bridget gently reaches for his hands as she tries to guide him back to the other side of the living room, back to the exercise they had been working on.

The first word Sawyer spoke was “robot.’’ A robot was on television and another was in a book he had seen. He was 19 months old and had made only cooing sounds before that. Sawyer’s parents were dumbfounded that he could make those connections and could actually speak.

At a little over age 2, Sawyer was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is 7 now and works with an aide in his Bexley home several hours a week after school where he’s accompanied by a different aide. He and his aide work on identifying words and other skills. He practices responding to people who talk to him and calming his occasional urges to flail his arms and legs or cry when he’s frustrated.

Sawyer’s parents, Amy and Eric, focus on the progress they have seen in Sawyer in recent years, in part because of the teachers, therapists and aides he works with, in part because they have learned how to best support Sawyer. He has learned to speak in full sentences, have conversations and look up and respond when someone calls his name. Not so long ago, when asked to stop looking at a book, Sawyer would often scream, cry and sometimes drop to the floor. That seldom happens now.

“The world isn’t going to change for him,’’ Amy points out. “The people at Nationwide Children’s Hospital are giving him tools for better surviving and thriving in the world.”

Sawyer has a great sense of humor. He is one of the most affectionate people you’ll ever meet. He loves to travel. He is a wonderful big brother, as well as little brother.

“His Autism diagnosis is clinical, but the care the team shows towards him is personal. We couldn’t be happier with his progress and know that his future is bright thanks to the work his amazing team at Nationwide Children’s put in for him every single day,” says Amy. Sawyer and his family are looking forward to motivating and inspiring all of the participants in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & ½ Marathon.

 

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