April is Autism Awareness Month
Thanks to Autism Speaks, thousands of landmarks (including the White House), businesses, houses of worship and communities in over 150 countries will Light It Up Blue in April to raise global awareness of Autism spectrum disorder.
29 Acres will proudly shine the light on individuals with autism every day for the month of April. We want to raise awareness of autism spectrum disorder in our own community and we hope we do that by sharing their stories.
MEET SAM
Sam is a 20 year old man living with his mom, step-dad and younger brother in Princeton, Texas.
Sam had a rough start; born 8 weeks early and lived in the NICU for about 6 weeks. Once home he struggled with developmental delays and poor muscle tone. He had extensive therapy to learn to roll over, crawl, walk and talk. Originally diagnosed with Sotos Syndrome, the Autism diagnoses was added in middle school. But Sam is a fighter and he works hard every day to keep up with his peers.
Sam completed his graduation requirements in 2015 but returned to high school under the 18 - 21 program. He starts off his day in the school office where he performs office aid duties such as filing, picking up attendance and delivering items to the classrooms. This has really improved his social skills and everywhere Sam goes on campus he's met with a friendly hello. Grabbing a cup of coffee in the teacher's lounge is one of his favorite things to do!
After finishing up in the school office, Sam moves to the special ed classroom where he prepares his own lunch. He's learning to cook several simple meals, but spaghetti is his favorite. Along with his school aide, Sam goes to Walmart once a week to purchase the items he needs to prepare his menus and he's so proud of his new debit card!
After lunch, Sam, with his aide, goes out into the community and works at several local businesses, including the grocery store, city library, the senior living center and the local cafe. He's learning very valuable work and social skills. Recently, Sam obtained his first real job at a fast food restaurant. He works about 10 hours a week and was so very proud of his first paycheck!
When not working hard at school or his job, Sam enjoys listening to music, writing stories and building Lego sets. He is often seen walking in the neighborhood, wearing his headphones and listening to his favorite music which is anything from Glee. Sam is looking forward to living semi-independently and was very excited to see the 29 acres site plans. He thought the housing plans looked just like his big sister's college dorms!
Sam had a rough start; born 8 weeks early and lived in the NICU for about 6 weeks. Once home he struggled with developmental delays and poor muscle tone. He had extensive therapy to learn to roll over, crawl, walk and talk. Originally diagnosed with Sotos Syndrome, the Autism diagnoses was added in middle school. But Sam is a fighter and he works hard every day to keep up with his peers.
Sam completed his graduation requirements in 2015 but returned to high school under the 18 - 21 program. He starts off his day in the school office where he performs office aid duties such as filing, picking up attendance and delivering items to the classrooms. This has really improved his social skills and everywhere Sam goes on campus he's met with a friendly hello. Grabbing a cup of coffee in the teacher's lounge is one of his favorite things to do!
After finishing up in the school office, Sam moves to the special ed classroom where he prepares his own lunch. He's learning to cook several simple meals, but spaghetti is his favorite. Along with his school aide, Sam goes to Walmart once a week to purchase the items he needs to prepare his menus and he's so proud of his new debit card!
After lunch, Sam, with his aide, goes out into the community and works at several local businesses, including the grocery store, city library, the senior living center and the local cafe. He's learning very valuable work and social skills. Recently, Sam obtained his first real job at a fast food restaurant. He works about 10 hours a week and was so very proud of his first paycheck!
When not working hard at school or his job, Sam enjoys listening to music, writing stories and building Lego sets. He is often seen walking in the neighborhood, wearing his headphones and listening to his favorite music which is anything from Glee. Sam is looking forward to living semi-independently and was very excited to see the 29 acres site plans. He thought the housing plans looked just like his big sister's college dorms!
In honor of the thousands of individuals living with autism in our Texas communities who are in need of quality housing and ongoing support, please consider supporting this project. 29 Acres is a registered 501C3 and all donations are tax deductible.
You can donate at http://www.29acres.org/donate
The 29 Acres mission is to elevate the quality of life for adults across the autism spectrum by creating a dynamic housing community enriched with customized programming and support where every person will be empowered to live with purpose and joy.
