Meet Abby

By Abby’s Family

“Your one best day is Abby’s every day.”

That’s often what we tell people about Abby. Abby is the ray of sunshine on a cloudy day and never without a smile or laugh. She knows only joy and happiness, a welcome blessing for all who know her.

Abby and her fraternal twin sister, Maddie, were born full term and complication free.

At age two, after a visit with a geneticist–prompted by some delays in milestones–Abby received a clinical diagnosis of CdLS.

A medical diagnosis followed many years later after bloodwork revealed the presence of the HDAC8 mutation.

Now 17 and a junior in high school, Abby thrives in her special needs program at our local high school. She receives speech and physical therapy both at school and through clinical practice. While she endures significant cognitive delays, she can read at a second-grade level and is a whiz at using a total communication approach–vocalization, ASL and her Android device equipped with NovaChat.

She loves watching people get haircuts (and getting her own too!), lawn mowing, going to the car wash, playing Uno and other games. She’s also never without her best buddies, Thing One and Thing Two.

As she moves into her final years of high school, Abby will continue in her special needs transition program.

Her program does a tremendous job of introducing her and her classmates to job opportunities and vocations and we look forward to supporting her as she brings her bright smile and contributions to others in our community and beyond.

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