*names changed at the request of the family
Rowan is 4, and he can identify all the planets, their moons and even asteroids. He wants to be an astronaut.
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” his mom, Rachel, said. “I think he can do anything that he sets his mind to."
Rowan also has Apraxia, a condition that affects a person’s ability to make intentional movements due to a lack of communication between the brain, nerves, and muscles. For Rowan, that mainly impacts his speech.
“What it is, is a motor planning delay and communication issue,” Rachel said. “He understands everything, but his brain doesn’t always send the right signals to his mouth to help him articulate in a way that makes him easily understood.”
When Rowan was little, he was developing in a typical way. By about 1-year-old, he was really engaged and was learning new words — but one day, they went away. In addition to what Rachel describes as “neurospicy tendencies,” she also discovered that her family had been exposed to toxic mold in their home. While the healing journey took time, Rowan’s apraxia and neurodivergent traits remained.
For a while they cobbled together care for Rowan in California. During a trip to visit family in Minnesota, Rachel was researching some additional options and discovered St. David’s.
An intake visit, along with the collaborative, under‑one‑roof model of care confirmed it was the right place for Rowan.
He now participates in the Autism Day Treatment program as well as Speech and Occupational Therapy.
“He didn’t have any words you could understand when he came here. His articulation is still very behind, but now he has about 20 words you can really understand — and hundreds more that I can understand just from being with him day to day,” Rachel said.
Enrolling Rowan in the Autism Day Treatment Program also helped him grow socially. He didn’t show much interest in other kids when their family first came to St. David’s, unless someone really got down to his level and intentionally connected with him.
“Now he has a best friend in class. He makes friends everywhere we go, he likes to find slightly older kids and stand and look at them, and he’s very willing to connect with them,” Rachel said. “He and his best friend in class hold hands all the time and they walk around the school together. It’s very sweet.”
Despite the progress, the journey has not been easy.
“It’s been very challenging,” Rachel said. “Watching my open, happy, thriving kid — who had so many words and was developing normally — lose all his words and his drive to connect with everyone.”
“I firmly believe he wouldn’t be where he is now without St. David’s,” she said. “And I can’t wait to see where he goes next.”