Jacobs Journey

I am Jacob’s Grandfather…. This is written by my daughter - Jacobs Mom. Our son Jake is 11 and when he was about 6 he was diagnosed with sensory processing disorder and autism. Jake is blissfully unaware of the differences between himself and his siblings.

Jake doesn’t understand his brain works completely different than yours or mine. He doesn’t know he has autism. He doesn’t understand why we don’t fully understand him. Because we can’t. My brain does not work and view things the way he does. There’s a part of him I just don’t understand and I most likely never will. If I want to understand him better, I have to step out of my world and step into his from his point of view.

I want to make his life a little bit smoother whenever I can. That’s my job to do whatever I can to help him.

All children go through phases and transitions as they age. Children with autism go through these as well, but their burden is a little heavier. Some struggle with speech, sensory issues, social skills, anxiety, and hygiene issues. Jake struggles with all of these and more.

There’s no ‘cure’ to autism. No magic fix. We try to help his overstimulated days be just a little bit easier. There are days that he stims by hitting his head, squeezing pillows, paces, and often repeats questions to a family member 20-30 times. Some days are easy. Some days it takes our entire family to help him through a meltdown.

Jake has needs. Needs that aren’t like everyone else. As he ages, his needs have changed but also increased.

We need a few things to help Jake with his sensory processing and transitioning into teenage years.

Jake needs a walk in shower. We live on a farm and Jake loves the outdoors. He explores and enters a world of texture, smell, and sounds. With that comes dirt . He will sit in the mud and cover himself from head to toe, fully clothed. He will swim in our pond in the middle of winter. He likes to walk through the grass/mud with no shoes. He needs a shower accessible on the first floor where he can walk right in and shower. He could remove soiled clothing. Taking clothes off outside was funny when he was a toddler, but as he ages it has become a problem.

Jake isn’t fully potty trained. Because this is a huge milestone he is struggling with, he needs cleaned up every day. I don’t know if we’re going to be doing this the rest of his life. As he gets older things get more complicated. Jake he’s not getting any smaller yet he doesn’t realize that on a cognitive level. If I could reason with him, believe me I would. He’s been obsessed with the outdoors since he was a baby. This isn’t something he’s going to stop as he grows. A walk in shower would help make this process not go away, but maybe a little smoother and safer as he matures.

We don’t have a space where he can run and easily wrestle with us in our home. Jake needs spaces where he can go to be alone to decompress. He gets overstimulated and frustrated and needs to walk away. We try to support this as much as we can. There’s times where he is engaged with us and again doesn’t realize his size as he jumps around bumping into things or knocking them over. A place that is designed just for play would have huge mental and emotional benefits for him.

A room that is designed to help support his sensory diet would help deescalate and calm him when he’s overwhelmed and frustrated. This would be a safe space tailored to his needs.

We thank you for your interest and support in our son. We’re advocating for one who cannot advocate for himself. We truly appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity.