Naperville photographer, Chicago special needs photographer | mini-sessions

I had such a wonderful time photographing my second day of special needs mini-sessions.  I love meeting new families and seeing old ones return.  It was a great day.  These are the first half from that day.  Every April I host special needs mini-sessions in honor of Autism Awareness Month.

These first cuties were a great way to start the day!  I mean, look at how adorable they are! And mom had walked in announcing that the little one was in a bad mood.  Really?  LOL  They were all great.  The older brother has PDD-NOS, a form of Autism.

 

 

This next girl also has Autism and sensory issues.  Last time, unfortunately, she was very overwhelmed and became very upset.  This time, no tears and no crying.  And while I couldn’t get her to smile, her mom would spin her onto the bed, getting these big smiles.  Once she landed, her eyes would come up for a brief moment before going away.  Yay for success!

 

 

These next brothers were a hoot.  The first is Joshua who is 22 and has ataxic cerebral palsy. He is friendly, outgoing loves people and will strike up a conversation with anyone – though his first words to me were “I’m too old for photographs.”  I assured him I would make them cool, and at the end he told me he liked me because “I got how cool he was.”  LOL   When he was first diagnosed at eighteen months, they were told by the doctor he would probably be in a wheel chair and not walk. He never was in  a wheelchair but had to use a walker. He took his first independent steps without falling down when he was nine yrs old. His mission in life was to learn to walk independently. With his determination, never give up personality and lots of PT he has accomplished that. He also has a learning disability and some processing issues, thus continues to need assistance with decisions and problem solving.

Daniel 16, is their awesome sweet autistic son. He has a smile that can melt your heart but it is hard to get on cue! Daniel prefers to be alone, but liked to talk about his favorite movies. Anything Disney, Star Wars, Thomas the tank engine, veggie tales and bible stories. He loves to dance and sing. In fact, we started playing Frozen songs in order to get him to smile.

My hat is off to their parents, as they adopted both boys.

 

 

 

This next boy has Asperger’s syndrome which is considered a high functioning form of autism. It leads to difficulty interacting socially, especially within his peer group, transitioning from routine, repeat behavior, and clumsiness. Will loves talking about books he’s read, super hero movies, and video games!  He and I had a nice discussion about favorite X-Men and abilities. 😉  His little sister (who is so stinking cute!) on the other hand is ready to take on the world! She struggles with sensory issues, but loves going to preschool to help with that. But one  thing is clear, she loves her big brother and is very protective and understanding of him.

 

 

 

These next three were a hoot, but it is the middle sister who steals the show with her bigger than life smile! She has cerebral palsy and is developmentally disabled. She walks independently and wears AFOs (leg braces). She is limited verbally but understands quite a bit. Her smile just lit up the room.