Superhero 5K walk/run to help local seven-year-old

Nolan O'Hair

A superhero-themed 5K walk/run will be hosted Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Greencastle Sports Park to help the parents of Nolan O’Hair, a local seven-year-old with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental delay, purchase a certified service dog.

“He is close to the happiest kid you could ever meet,” Ashley Lytle, Nolan’s mother, said. “Since Nolan was young we noticed when ... he gravitated toward dogs, cats, horses and seemed calmed by their presence. It wasn’t until Nolan wandered away from me last fall at a pumpkin patch to cuddle with a dog that a light went off that Nolan needed an animal for himself.

“We want Nolan to have a companion to be his guide, his rock and his best friend. The dog would bring peace of mind to our family.”

Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the event at 10 a.m. There will be food, prizes and raffle items, and attendees are encouraged to come in superhero or superhero sidekick costumes.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, ASD is “the name for a group of developmental disorders. ASD includes a wide range, ‘a spectrum,’ of symptoms, skills and levels of disability.” Those with ASD struggle with communicating and interacting with others and having limited interests or activities.

According to the University of Michigan, developmental delay is “an ongoing major or minor delay in the process of development” in which children do not “reach developmental milestones at the expected times.”