Three Year-Old Makes Strides At Siskin Children's Institute

Three year-old Williams Harris is on the move. He plays, he laughs, and he's curious about what's going on around him.Williams Harris Is Curious About the Camera
His mother Gena Harris, "The progress has been amazing."
William came to Siskin Children's Institute last fall.
Gena Harris, "When we started here he wasn't able to walk, he only made one consonant sound he said ma."
William was born five weeks early and his mother says from the beginning, doctors thought he might have special needs.
Gena Harris, "He had Metopic Craniosynostosis, which means the top plates of his head overlapped here and he had to have surgery at ten months old in order to correct that. "
William's condition combined with a long recovery from surgery caused him to have a significant delay. Instead of shuffling back and forth to a hospital for therapy, William gets all the care he needs in one place.
Chad Harris, "He gets everything in a week without going to special places and spending half our life in a car."
Chad and Gena believe William was inspired to get moving by one of his classmates.
Gena Harris, "He would crawl to him as fast as he could, and the little boy would go to the other side of the room and then he'd crawl the other way."
His teachers say peer modeling is the first step in helping special needs children.
Gretchen Shiveley, "We encourage language in everything we do, during circle time, academic time, so they can pick up on those language skills."
Gena and Chad say doctors still cant tell them what William can or cannot do so, they're hopeful about his future.
Chad Harris, "For every milestone that he hits, it's just a whole new blessing for us."