Yoder boy breaks barriers of autism with his lamb at the El Paso County Fair

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - To some, lambs are just cute farm animals, but they’re also one of the reasons a little boy went from non-verbal to speaking while showing them in competitions.

11-year-old Gage from Yoder, Colorado is breaking the barriers of autism. 

For 6 years, he was non-verbal and stayed to himself. That is until his parents enrolled him in the Ramblin Wranglers 4-H Club of El Paso County; a program designed to empower young kids through hands-on projects.

"Our club, have been awesome at making us feel welcome and making sure Gage is included in every step of the process and just helping us with everything we needed because there's a lot of challenges he has to overcome," Gages mom, Tonya Perdue said.

Challenges like not speaking, over stimulation, and loud noises. All things that trigger Gage, but are now decreasing after he joined 4-H, 8 months ago.

His mom says the daily routine of caring for his lambs has played a major role in his progress.

That progress definitely showed this week as Gage and one is his lambs 'Lambo' won third in his Market Lamb Class at the El Paso County Fair.

The accomplishment is one that judges say is a huge challenge for all kids, but an even bigger challenge for a child on the spectrum.

Gage will continue on this weekend when he shows his other lamb 'Shep' in the Junior Livestock Auction for the Market Animals.