You will fall in love as soon as you see this smiley little boy look up at you with big brown eyes and adorable dimples in his cheeks. It’s hard to imagine or truly understand the struggles he faces every day from Autism. World meet Jadon. A 5 year old boy full of love and laughter that is autistic. Having an Autism Service Dog would help Jadon with many challenges that he faces daily. Some of tho
se challenges are car rides when loud semi-trucks go by or when it’s dark and raining. Environments can cause anxiety for Jadon by sights, smells, and sounds that occur in restaurants, stores, and even the zoo. Events like birthday parties are especially hard because Jadon’s ears are so sensitive that he covers his ears for every “Happy Birthday” song. Imagine wanting to build a sand castle at the beach but the ocean waves roars are almost too much to bear. Through most of these examples our candid pictures we have taken of Jadon capture his sparkling smile. Jadon loves life and won’t allow this disability to damper his demeanor! In fact, we will share with you how close Jadon came to not having a life. When Jadon’s mother was 5 months pregnant, the ultrasound showed that the baby had echo-genic bowl which could be signs of cystic fibrosis, infection, or possibly death. The specialists advised Jadon’s parents to terminate the pregnancy even up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. Through their faith and prayers tests after tests showed nothing was wrong with this unborn baby. Born 6 weeks early at 3 lbs and 6 oz., this little guy showed the doctors just how special he was. Even the nurses in the baby ICU were impressed with his strength. The specialist called Jadon a miracle. Jadon means Jehovah has heard (our prayers) and he is a daily reminder of a miracle. Around 2 years of age Jadon didn’t act like a “normal” toddler. We thought it was delayed attributes because of being a premie. Instead of make believe he would line up toy trains for hours. Instead of looking at you and intercepting what you say he would not make eye contact. Instead of interacting with other children he would be off on his own watching how blocks fall down when he pushes them. His parents never understood what autism was when he was diagnosed at 3 years old. The diagnosis was an answer of what was going on with their little boy but now there were even more questions such as is there a cure? Will he grow out of it? The answer is no but with early intervention Jadon can learn to handle everyday life and that’s why we have decided to reach out to our community to help us raise funds for 4 Paws For Ability. An Autism Service Dog will be trained to track Jadon should he wander away. Did you know according to the National Autism Association that the mortality rate is doubled largely due to drowning and other accidents associated with wandering? That brings fear to every parent. Even though we put alarms on outside doors, having a service dog would be an extra set of eyes on this precious child. When Jadon has a melt down because he can’t handle the environment he’s in or noise is too much to bear, the dog is trained to snuggle, kiss, even apply pressure points to help Jadon relax and feel protected. Jadon doesn’t sleep through the night as studies have shown this is a common trait in the Autisitc world but this service dog would be able to sleep with Jadon and give him the extra protection that all is ok. Maybe Jadon will finally sleep through the night and so can his other family members! Jadon is known to bolt while in public such as while shopping at the grocery store or walking to the car in the parking lot. A service dog is trained to take a stance and prevent bolting because Jadon would be tethered to the dog. This means that with our disability laws a service dog can be with Jadon wherever he goes. In school, parking lots, transportation vehicles, and airports. Wherever Jadon goes the service dog can go! With just these few examples into Jadon’s daily life, we hope you can see the benefits a service dog would be for our little boy and a sense of peace that this new furry family member can bring. Please make your donation today to 4 Paws For Ability in Honor of Jadon Reaggle.
