Special Olympics Athlete and Author Learns ABCs by Traveling the World

  NEW YORK, NY - 06/02/2017 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

Julian English was born in 2004 at Hutzel Women’s Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, fifteen weeks before his due date, weighing 1 pound 15 ounces. Without even knowing it, Baby Julian was a star. He became the face of an advertising campaign for high-risk care at Hutzel.

Julian suffered from mild to severe bleeding on both sides of his brain. He was diagnosed with Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL), a type of brain damage that usually affects infants and can cause long-term affects. Julian wore hearing aids for the first two years of his life, and while his hearing has improved, he still struggles with every day tasks, such as math, counting, reading, and fine and gross motor skills. He has multiple medical and learning challenges.

Realizing traditional school wasn't enough for Julian, his mother, Natasha Moulton-Levy, wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to learn. But a visit to Julian’s pediatrician changed their lives forever. The doctor routinely asked a variety of probing questions, like naming numbers, shapes and colors. Julian could not name any. On this particular visit, the doctor did something different. He used a board that had a picture of the Taj Mahal and asked Julian to point to the country where he could find the Taj Mahal 

Julian pointed to India, not only remembering a vacation he and his family had taken, but recalling that the “Taj Mahal was cool to the touch.”

A light went off in his mother’s brain…and the rest, as they say, is history. Now his mother scours the internet for cheap flights around the globe and always takes advantage of coupons, groupons, and deals to places of interest and experiences near home.

Natasha discovered that choosing letter of the alphabet (‘A’ for Australia, ‘B’ for Baltimore, ‘C” for Colorado, ‘D’ for Dublin) for a country, city or place of interest has aided Julian in using associations to learn experientially. She wanted Julian’s experiences to have continuity and interaction. She follows the philosophy that with continuity, the experience comes from and leads to other experiences, allowing Julian to learn and retain more.

Their intention in writing the No Limits: No Boundaries! My Journey Through the ABC’s book together was to demonstrate that everyone can learn in their own way and at their own pace. Most of all, Julian and his Mother wanted to give others hope and encouragement.

No Limits: No Boundaries! My Journey Through the ABC’s is an Award-Winning Finalist in the “Children's Educational” category of the 2017 International Book Awards. The book was written by Julian English & Natasha Moulton-Levy, edited by Patrice Samara and illustrated by Mickie Quinn. The book is available on www.Wordeee.com and www.nolimitsnoboundaries.net. 

Now entering his teen years, Julian’s recent activities include representing the Special Olympics at Congress to chat about the needs of athletes with intellectual disabilities, climbed the ruins in Mexico, went to Paris and walked the Champs-Elysées, appeared in the Polar Bear Plunge Campaign for the Special Olympics of Maryland & CHICK-fil-A, and was on a 4 person panel on a Sports & Adversity for the Special Olympics that included Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco & Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta.

Although learning is still a challenge and he reads at a kindergarten level, Julian’s confidence is growing stronger each day. He refuses to  let his struggles nor his intellectual disability hold him back. The Special Olympics and his globetrotting travel have allowed him to learn in his own unique way and, with the support of his loving family, nothing will stop him.