Hello world, meet Gavin! He is the sweetest, silliest, most loving boy. Gavin is the second youngest of 5 & loved by all his siblings! He  has the most infectious laugh, & if you’re one of the lucky ones he is the best hugger! He is super affectionate & has a thing for brunettes with long hair! lol
He loves all things involving movement! He’s a Big fan of running outdoors barefoot, jumping on trampolines & swinging.  He also loves tents, and burrowing under pillows. He seeks out vestibular motion and sensory input like deep pressure and body scratches.
Gavin was diagnosed as severely autistic at 2.3 years old.
He was developing typically and meeting all his milestones at an advanced age range. At around 21 months he started slipping away from us, his language plateaued then regressed.  He developed self stimulatory behaviors and stopped responding to his name.  After several attempts to talk to his pediatrician about it who kept telling us all was ok - we sought out help through our county.  By 3 he completely lost all his language. At around 4 he started with his self injurious behaviors & aggression. His combative and aggressive behavior is mostly due to his frustration and inability to communicate & overstimulation.  Unfortunately his self injurious behavior can be very severe and involves head banging and hurting himself.  He can also scratch, pinch, hit, kick and lunge towards his family, teachers & caregivers.  It can be heart wrenching at times, but we persevere.
He has sensory seeking behavior but also some sensory aversions.
He is an eloper, and does not have any understanding of danger.
It has been a long hard journey, and despite all of his issues he still manages to steal all the hearts of anyone who is lucky enough to know him. He is the bravest boy and works very hard at all his therapies. He is in a special needs school and has speech, OT and pt all week.
He also has a group ABA program outside of school.
We have to gone to many doctors over the years traditional allopathic, eastern, homeopathic, alternative medicine, and have since found out he also has two genetic mutations ( MTHFR - body’s inability to release toxins properly/ methylate & a chromosome 15 mutation ).  Despite all our efforts none of these pracitioners were able to tell us his autism diagnosis came from any of his genetic mutations.  We believe his genetics along with environmental factors, and his bodies inability to rid itself of toxins, created the perfect storm for toxic overload from his infant immunization schedule.
We also found a chiari malformation at the base of his cerebellum along with some slight physical congenital abnormalities. He also has some food sensitivities.
He has since also gotten the diagnosis of adhd-combo, Dmdd, unspecified anxiety, sensory processing issues, & apraxia.

Gavin is SO much more than his diagnosis. He is our greatest teacher. He is our hearts walking outside our bodies. Our prayer for him to live in a world that allows him to be his best self, where he can communicate to the best of his ability.  I pray for him to feel understood, happy, & to know how much he is loved.
I will advocate for him until my last breath, because he deserves the best of the best.

This is why we want to create a safe sensory space/room in our home.  Gavin thrives in a calm environment with minimal outside stimulation and noise.
Where he can feel safe and free to sit, swing, 

climb, jump and play!
Where he can sit and watch his favorites videos in in a space that keeps him calm and happy!

I was grateful to find Hunters wish gift! And so grateful to be a part of this fundraiser.
On behalf of our family, Thank you for being here!