Justin

 When Justin’s father died in 2023, the loss resulted in regression to some previous behaviors. He was grieving the loss of someone who was very important and close to him, and it was difficult for him to find ways to cope because he is non-verbal and couldn’t express his discontent. He became much more violent, impatient, and struggled with any person being within feet of him.

In December 2023, Justin began attending a day program that offered behavioral support for participants. In the beginning, this was cause for worry as he did not react well to people he did not know near him. However, Justin and his mother decided it was worth a shot, and so he began a shorter day at the program from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm.

At 27 years old, Justin’s mother, Kim, is proud to say that Justin is getting himself ready in the morning prior to going to his day program. He even expresses excitement in ways that are accessible to him, and his violent outbursts have lessened! When Justin does have an outburst, the time it takes for him to regulate his emotions is much shorter. He is also more comfortable with new people in closer proximity to him than in previous years.

Something his day program and Kim have implemented for Justin are task cards, which are small cards that have some sort of activity on it like sweeping to help teach independence and personal maintenance. Before, Justin would have to be given a task card and encouraged to complete it. But now, he can find a task card by himself and do the activity!

As a person whose family practices Sikhism, Kim has been able to take Justin to temple when she knows the crowds are smaller and when the gatherings are shorter. Justin was not able to go to temple before as he would have meltdowns, but this has improved.

Kim feels optimistic about Justin’s growth as a person and enjoys seeing his happier moments. He loves going for long walks or playing soccer in their backyard, along with watching some of his favorite shows after he attends his day program. As a parent, Kim expresses the hope people can be more empathetic and less judgmental to families of people with disabilities. She shared that autism is hard on the family, and that extending grace to them and the person with autism could make a big difference in their lives.