Official Kids Mag

school bother him, and he gets anxious when he's facing another medical procedure. To calm himself, he takes deep breaths and prays to God for help and relief. "I always tell myself if someone else has a fear, it's best to talk about it and care about it." Sometimes progress is slow, and Melissa wonders if any improvements are really happening. "Then you look at pictures or see friends you haven't seen in a while, and they're amazed with the change and growth, and it's like, wow! He has come so far!" For example, he progressed to the point where he could independently kneel and walk on his knees. Nicholas thinks he's come far, too. "I really have! This year in 2020 I could do stuff. This past spring we were working on me getting up from the floor to the couch without support. Also, from the floor to sitting on a bench, and from bench to floor. I rocked both of those! I've been able to accomplish so many things that get me far in my independence. And I play baseball." Baseball is his favorite sport. He plays in Springdale for Miracle League, although it was canceled this past year because of Covid. He's been playing since he was five, starting with hitting the ball from the T and now batting when the pitcher throws the ball. His favorite team is the Kansas City Royals, and he's been to many of their games in Kansas City and also to the Naturals' games here at home. When he grows up, there are lots of things he says he'd like to do, but he leans most toward being a voice actor. "I was born with perfect pitch." He loves music and can imitate singers. "I can also imitate my kindergarten teacher," he chuckled. "I was in a virtual talent show last May at the end of fifth grade. I love Mater from the Disney movie 'Cars.' I can imitate Mater." Then Nicholas did his Mater imitation, saying with a drawl, "What's goin' on, ladies?" His favorite subject in school is math. "I also love P.E. I love every subject—well, the ones I'm easy on. I need a little bit of help with science. The most difficult subject is ELA, English Language Arts, because I have trouble with my reading comprehension. I lose track of what I'm focusing on." Nicholas has always been in regular classes, not special ones, and gets lots of resource help, though school is virtual right now. "I want to do my best in all things," he said. "Kids have always treated him well," Melissa pointed out. "He has some really good friends." Besides his best friends Sadie and River, he also has several cousins. One is Liam, who is 10. "He was born with autism," Nicholas said. "That's how I learned about it. I started asking Mom, 'why doesn't he listen?' She said, 'Well, you were born with arthrogryposis and Liam was born with autism. People with autism use their minds differently.'" Nicholas believes that people "who are different than most, like me" should be treated with kindness. "I'm a kind person. Also, I want to feel loved. That's how everybody should be treated." He told about an experience he had in the first grade that shows how being different shouldn't make a difference in how we treat others—in this case, a kitten. He and his mother had gone to Pet Smart to buy food for their dog, Sophie, and he went by the cat cages. One little gray kitten caught his eye. "I wanted her, so we got her, Rosie. I played with her that night and then the next morning, I noticed that she had three legs. I said, 'Mom, she's only got three legs! What happened to her fourth foot?" "I think that's so wonderful," Melissa said. "He saw past her disability and saw her personality first." "I always tell myself if someone else has a fear, it's best to talk about it and care about it." ~ Nicholas e. officialKidsMag.com • FeBruary 2021 • 39

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