Just Like Jack!
Today’s blog post comes from one of our awesome volunteers here at My Autism Ally, Emily Garrett. We hope her story inspires you on your autism journey.
Hi, my name is Emily. My husband Thom and I have been married for 9 years and we have three kids; Jack 7, Benjamin 5, and Lucy almost 3. All three are on the spectrum, and all three are nonverbal/non speaking. While their diagnoses are very similar, their personalities are wildly unique. When I say I am kept on my toes, I am on my tippiest of tip toes!
Last year was particularly exciting because our oldest went to kindergarten. He is a student in the Applied Skills Program at Aspen Meadow Elementary. Students in this program spend their time between the applied skills classroom and a mainstream classroom. We saw so much good come from his first year in school. We couldn’t thank his teacher, Miss Hutchison, and the entire staff enough for all his progress. She was so patient, attentive, and loving with him. We felt so good about where he was and who he was with. It was her first year teaching and I like to joke that Jack put a lot of mileage on her first year for her!
Jack’s peers were so incredibly sweet. I loved seeing their pure hearts trying to make a connection with him. They would say hello, make him fidget toys, and ask for hugs. When Jack had a seizure and was out of school for a few days one of his classmates got upset because he was so worried about him. How sweet is that? I’m not crying, you’re crying!
Jack’s Autism is quite noticeable when you meet him. He doesn’t speak, he hums, he bounces, he hand flaps, he stims, he tries to hug strangers, he elopes, he is often blissfully unaware of his surroundings, and so many more ways his autism shines through. We know this, teachers know this, the principal knows this, the school psychologist knows this, the district’s Autism Specialist knows this, the speech therapist, the occupational therapist, aides, bus drivers, gym teacher, librarian, lunch staff, recess aides, front office staff, and anyone who sees him knows this. But kids don’t always understand and are naturally curious. The couple of times I spent in the school or on field trips they had lots of questions about why he acts so differently.
I don’t know why, but I had never thought about how to answer them. You’d think as a parent of more than one child with extra needs, I would have prepared for this or maybe rehearsed an answer or two. But, I found myself stumbling. Was it because I hadn’t experienced raising a child who asks lot of questions? Did I forget to think about this? Did I really think this wouldn’t happen? How do I answer them in a way they’ll understand? A simple “he just does things differently” sufficed, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I didn’t want him to just be “different”, I wanted his peers to see similarities as well.
Then the opportunity presented itself. Jack’s mainstream teacher, who is everything you could ever want in a kindergarten teacher for your kid, Miss Owens, asked when Jack wanted to be Star Student of the Week. Students get to share things about themselves all week, then have their favorite book read on Friday. We discussed using this as an opportunity to introduce the students to autism and what that means for Jack. I picked a week late in the year so I had time to get my “stuff” together. I began searching, and searching, and searching some more for a kids’ book about Autism. I found so many incredible books, but none seemed to fit Jack’s mold, and none sent the message I was looking to put out there. And that’s where Just Like Jack began.
I began writing, keeping it to 10 pages, and roped my brother, Kerry Moore, in to illustrate it with Adobe and a touch of AI. I also committed that I would write a book for my other two children when they were the kindergarten Star Students of the Week. I asked friends and family for small donations and was met with incredible generosity and had it printed to hand out to Jack’s classmates, and our family and friends.
When the time came, I got to go into the classroom and read my book to Jack’s class. The students sat and listened very closely to every word, and looked at every picture. They asked questions, they told me about fun things they’ve done with Jack at recess, and loved taking home their copy. I have had one or two parents approach me about it, and compliments from friends and family. I find myself fighting a little bit of imposter syndrome still to this day when talking about it. I know that in raising kids with extra needs I need to be strong, thoughtful, and resilient. This whole process has helped me gain a better sense of confidence.
My goal from the start was to show children that even when someone is different, no matter their disabilities, they can find similarities with them. It’s always going to be obvious that my kids are different, but I just wanted to plant small seeds in their peers so that they can make connections and become Autism Allies. On the back of the book I wrote “Early understanding is the key to Acceptance”. I believe that when kids feel like they can see and talk about differences, they will start to see that in a lot of ways they are Just Like Jack!
Thank you everyone for your support! Be on the lookout for my next book featuring my son Ben!
Emily has graciously allowed us to provide you access to her book, just click the button below to download your copy!