Justin is a super cool kid. We go to Disneyland and turn that place to crazy town as we hit every single ride and performance. He brings his Michael Jackson CD and sings every single word in sync as we drive there. And he munches down about a gazillion French fries when we are driving home.
Justin is my 17 year old younger brother. At 2 years of age, he was diagnosed with Autism. But the signs of Autism were there even when he was only an infant. Being born with clubbed feet, a physical deformity in where his feet were turned to touch his shins, he underwent 15 different leg casts and a correcting surgery (that was extremely successful). You would expect a small baby to cry when the doctor used an electric saw to remove casts or when he was taken away from his parents to go into surgery - but Justin rarely did. He would always stare at the ceiling and twirl his little arms and legs in circles, eyes wide with fascination at some unseen wonders. Early on, our family knew that Justin was a very special little boy.
When he reached elementary school age, he began having hallucination episodes in where he would scream, hit walls, try and hurt other people. Once he calmed down, he would often cry in shame. It was always surprising because he was typically even-tempered, happy, and loving little boy.. Once he was taken to the doctor it was discovered that he was severely allergic to milk and wheat. The hallucinogenic outbursts immediately ceased as soon as we got rid of all of the milk and wheat from our house.
Justin didn't speak much. If he did, it was usually very broken sentences with a few distinguishable words. This is a speech form called Echolalia. Our family picked up Sign Language and that was main form of communication with Justin until he reached his late elementary school years. It was around then that he discovered his love of drawing.
Over the years, he has created some extraordinarily detailed works of art - some on massive posters that you would think took weeks to create. We only encourage this passion and hope that others will enjoy it as much as we do.
Stay engaged and you'll be amazed!
- Jenni
Justin is my 17 year old younger brother. At 2 years of age, he was diagnosed with Autism. But the signs of Autism were there even when he was only an infant. Being born with clubbed feet, a physical deformity in where his feet were turned to touch his shins, he underwent 15 different leg casts and a correcting surgery (that was extremely successful). You would expect a small baby to cry when the doctor used an electric saw to remove casts or when he was taken away from his parents to go into surgery - but Justin rarely did. He would always stare at the ceiling and twirl his little arms and legs in circles, eyes wide with fascination at some unseen wonders. Early on, our family knew that Justin was a very special little boy.
When he reached elementary school age, he began having hallucination episodes in where he would scream, hit walls, try and hurt other people. Once he calmed down, he would often cry in shame. It was always surprising because he was typically even-tempered, happy, and loving little boy.. Once he was taken to the doctor it was discovered that he was severely allergic to milk and wheat. The hallucinogenic outbursts immediately ceased as soon as we got rid of all of the milk and wheat from our house.
Justin didn't speak much. If he did, it was usually very broken sentences with a few distinguishable words. This is a speech form called Echolalia. Our family picked up Sign Language and that was main form of communication with Justin until he reached his late elementary school years. It was around then that he discovered his love of drawing.
Over the years, he has created some extraordinarily detailed works of art - some on massive posters that you would think took weeks to create. We only encourage this passion and hope that others will enjoy it as much as we do.
Stay engaged and you'll be amazed!
- Jenni