Exceptional Child Spotlight
Meet Caitlyn Williamson! She is a 19-year-old junior at Tavares High School. Caitlyn was born with Robertsonian Translocation Down Syndrome This is where there are three copies of the long arm of chromosome 21 instead of two. The effects are the same as when Down Syndrome are the result of having an extra entire chromosome 21. She had several surgeries before she was two months old to fix a stomach and heart problem. Caitlyn had some birth defects as result of having Down Syndrome. This resulted in surgery at three days old to repair a stomach defect called duodenal atresia. In addition, she had a feeding tube inserted, which she had for a year. Her biggest birth defect was in her heart. She had atrioventricular canal defect, meaning the whole center part of her heart was missing. She had open-heart surgery at six weeks old. Caitlyn spent the first two months of her life in the hospital.
When Caitlyn came home, she had a long journey ahead, but she has conquered many challenges! She received therapies at home, five days a week. She received physical, speech, and occupational therapies along with early intervention. She has overcome many obstacles to be the amazing person she is today!
Caitlyn loves to go to school to be with her friends. She is a junior at Tavares High School. She does many activities with her class and goes on lots of Community Based Instruction trips to learn everyday basic skills.
In her free time, Caitlyn loves to sing and color. Caitlyn even sings karaoke! She brings smiles to everyone’s faces wherever she goes.
Caitlyn has actively participated with Special Olympics for the last 11 years. She has even competed at the state level. Caitlyn won a gold medal at state level for bowling and softball throw. She brought home a silver medal for 50-meter run. She loves bowling, basketball and track and field. Her favorite sport is the 50-meter run. Her school, Tavares High School, just became 1 out of 25 schools in the state of Florida to become a Unified Special Olympics Banner School.
Caitlyn is also a member of Best Buddies. She has been an active member of Best Buddies for 7 years. Best Buddies is a non-profit organization established in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver. The mission of Best Buddies is to establish a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Caitlyn is paired up with a Buddy each school year and that buddy supports her all year long. The friendship is lifelong. Caitlyn will be able to stay a part of Best Buddies even when she graduates high school. It is another great resource to help her be more successful in life. Best Buddies also helps educate the communities about individuals with disabilities.
Caitlyn is now on a new adventure! She and her teacher, Andrea Vineyard, are campaigning to become Grand Champions for Best Buddies. Champion of the Year unites and recognizes the community’s most active leaders in the name of inclusion. Through eight weeks of raising funds and awareness for Best Buddies, our Champions will generate countless opportunities for friendships, jobs, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At the campaign’s conclusion, we will join to celebrate each other’s accomplishments, honor the Champions’ collective impact, and name the ultimate Champion of the Year!
If you would like to make a donation toward supporting Caitlyn in her journey toward becoming a Best Buddies Champion, visit their fundraiser page here.
Blaire Harter, M.A., CCC-SLP
Executive Director
blaire@collaborativecorner.org