When Austin was a little boy, he had never eaten a Happy Meal, enjoyed a piece of pizza or begged his parents for a piece of candy, even though his parents wished he would. Not only did Austin have severe aversions to different tastes and textures of food and his only nourishment was from Pediasure, he was also diagnosed with autism. Born eight weeks premature, his first year of life was filled with numerous difficulties: pneumonia, bronchitis, and other respiratory problems all taking a toll on a young body.
By the time his first birthday arrived, his parents noticed that there was something terribly wrong. After consulting with several pediatricians who had no answers to Austin's challenges, he began receiving therapies from the experts at Heartspring Pediatric Services for occupational, physical, and feeding therapies.
It's been a long, hard road for Austin, but with the help he received at Heartspring, he's made tremendous strides - his behaviors have lessened, he is experimenting with new foods, and learned to ride his bicycle up and down the hallways of Heartspring without training wheels.
Today, Austin is 10 years old and is so excited to be able to ride his big bicycle all by himself. This has really pumped him up according to his mom, Kiffany. He's healthy and growing, even asking his mom and dad to try something they're eating every once in a while. All in all, Austin has come a long way.