jt1

JT.....

Describe JT, in one word…. We would say “Happy”.

What a gift it is to wake up each day of your life
with a smile on your face and not a care in the
world. That is the world by which our son lives.

Upon seeing or meeting JT (John-Thomas) for the
first time, he looks and seemingly acts like any
other “normal” little boy. Everyone who is lucky
enough to meet JT, can’t help but fall in love with
him. He has big blue eyes and a contagious smile
that can light up any dark room. He also has a
famous “JT” hair cut.   The locks are long with
shades of light brown and tan as if he has been
kissed by the sun. Soon though, appearances fade,
and you begin to see the mysterious world of
“Autism” start to emerge as JT appears to be just a
little “off”.

If you see JT at the park, you will notice him
running and playing with the other kids. The more
you watch and start to study him, he may appear to
be “playing” with the other kids, but in essence, he
is actually playing his own version of some other
game... he is off into his own little world.   Not to
worry, JT doesn’t really care, he is probably the
happiest one out there as he dances and sings and
talk to his imaginary friends.

As more time passes strangers start to wonder. If
people try and make conversation with him, he may
respond with a rote answer or in most cases, he will
giggle and just smile at them. Around this time,
the questions start firing from puzzled adults: “So
how old is JT?
…..It’s not so much the question as it is the tone,
the way it is asked or the facial expression of the
person asking.

This is when we know that people know, JT is
“special”.

We usually will reply that JT is Autistic. Typically
there is some awkward silence followed with one of
the following responses.
•        “Really,” (pause) “he seems to be so happy and
he makes eye contact?”
•        “Wow,” (again a pause) “hum” (pause) “can he
play the piano or is he a math wiz, like Rain Man?”
•        “Autistic?”
•        “What is Autism?”

We typically do not go into too many details; just
explain that JT is developing at his own pace, and
that he has been diagnosed with PDD (Pervasive
Development Disorder) which is part of the Autism
Spectrum. We explain that we are looking around
every corner and under every rock to help him
develop so that someday JT can take care of
himself.

Does this sound like a typical day with your child?
For the Hughes family this is the norm.
Fortunately, we are blessed to be able to answer
the questions with dignity and hope. We love our
son for who he is not what we hope he will be. We
thank God each day for our little “Happy” man. He
is our life.