Nelson Moran has soulful eyes and the boundless energy of a typical 3-year-old boy, but he has yet to string words together in a sentence or sing a song.
Nelson has autism. As a result, the gifts he needs under the tree this Christmas are quite different from those on most preschooler's lists: a weighted blanket, to help him feel secure and calm and perhaps finally sleep through the night.
Or a tablet, which his parents can load with apps especially designed for children with autism, to teach them sounds and words and even social development.
Nelson is the youngest of three siblings. His mom, Imelda Moran, spends her days arranging his therapy and doctor appointments, and doing the exercises the therapists prescribe: using flashcards to teach words and sounds, reading stories aloud and doing puzzles with him on the floor.
Their days seem long, because they start early. Many nights, Nelson wakes at 2:40 a.m. and refuses to go back to sleep. He barely naps during the day, Imelda Moran says, and so she often resorts to keeping herself fueled with coffee and splashes of cold water at the sink.
Nelson is one of about 7,300 children registered to receive toys and clothes through the Salvation Army's Christmas program, which matches children in need with anonymous donors who buy the gifts. Some 1,400 senior citizens will also receive gifts this Christmas.
In cases where donors don't step up, Charlotte Observer readers cover the expense by donating to the Empty Stocking Fund. Money raised by last year's Empty Stocking Fund allowed the Salvation Army to purchase 6,056 toys and 456 gifts for low-income seniors.
Each child will receive a new backpack this year, so Empty Stocking funds were used to purchase 8,000 backpacks and 20,000 small items to stuff in them. Children in the program range in age from infants to 12 years old.
Imelda Moran worked at a temp agency after her older children, 17-year-old Vicente, and 13-year-old Maria, were born. Although the family could use her second income (her husband, also named Nelson, works in construction), Imelda knows she would worry too much about leaving young Nelson with a caregiver because of his extreme needs and inability to communicate.
Vicente, a senior in high school, has talked of wanting to drop out of school so he can work and help the family with finances. But his parents have convinced him to finish through until graduation and to choose a career that will provide him a bright future.
On a recent weekday morning, Nelson and a friend played with cars on a mat in the living room in the family's small ranch home. Any toy with wheels is a favorite of Nelson's, and he's taken a liking to trains recently, his mom says, although the family's budget doesn't allow for many new toys.
When he drove a truck into a visitor's shoes, he sounded out zapatos (Spanish for shoes), to his mom's praise.
His parents started worrying about his speech delays when he was approaching age 2 and had yet to say a word. Imelda had surgery that kept her in the hospital for several weeks after Nelson turned 2, and doctors told her that his speech delay may have been a result of being apart from his mom.
But as the weeks went by and all he could say was "Papa," it became clear that something more serious was going on. The family pushed for help from specialists, and started Nelson on a therapy regimen.
She says she's grateful for any gifts _ a weighted blanket, a tablet or non-battery-operated toy trains _ a Salvation Army donor may select for Nelson after plucking his angel card from an angel tree.
"It's nice to know that people care," she said.
