Beckwith Syndrome

It's 6 a.m. when Clifford Weaver flips on the overhead light in his son's bedroom.

Ryan is still covered by his green and black panda bear bedspread, but he is awake and looks his father in the eye.

Clifford runs down a checklist with Ryan of the activities his son will do that day.

"School, then what?" Clifford asks. "What comes after school?"

"School," Ryan replies, his big hazel eyes peeking out from the covers.

"Come on, talk to me," Clifford prods.

Clifford will tell Ryan each activity, and Ryan will repeat it.

"Wal-Mart," Clifford says, signaling Ryan's afternoon trip to the store, where he'll be able to buy a small toy and coloring book.

"Wal-Mart," Ryan repeats quickly.

"Burger, fries," Clifford says, referring to the nearby McDonald's where Ryan will have a Happy Meal.

"Burger, fries," Ryan says with excitement.

"Come on buddy, you need to get ready," his mother Abby shouts from the kitchen, inside the Lodi family's modest East Oak Street home. "It's time for school buddy, you need to get ready."

Ryan, their darling son, is 6 foot 7 inches, 314 pounds and 22 years old.

He has a severe form of autism and is mentally retarded.

He's among hundreds of thousands of other young people in America with developmental disabilities — mental or physical disorders that can cripple one's chances of living an independent life.

Source: http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2008/03/23/news/2_ryan_080322.txt