Meet Sawyer

Since this is a new blog, I thought it would be a great time to reintroduce my “sonshine”, Sawyer!

Sawyer is 12 years old and in the 7th grade. Sawyer absolutely loves Roblox, and thinks McDonalds’ chicken nuggets are “bussin’”! Sawyer loves playing basketball with his friends, drawing and creating games on his phone, and spending time with his family. 

Sawyer is on the autism spectrum, which means that Sawyer’s brain works a little differently than most people’s. Sawyer also has sensory processing disorder, which means his brain and nervous system process sights, sounds, and smells at a much higher level than most people’s, so being outside in the bright sun, smelling something gross, or being inside in a loud gym can bother him a lot and sometimes he can’t handle it.

When people with autism need to soothe or calm themselves, sometimes they do things that are considered “stimming”, which means they’re stimulating a response that helps them feel safe and calm. This can be walking, rocking back and forth, or playing with a fidget toy; it’s different for everyone, and one of Sawyer’s “stims” is clearing his throat.

Sometimes Sawyer sees or hears things that scare him- like dogs- and he gets so scared that he feels like he’s going to pass out or throw up; all he wants to do is run away. He tries hard to deal with it as best as he can, but sometimes he can have what’s called a meltdown, which means that he is having trouble dealing with whatever is bothering him, and his brain makes it very hard for him to stay calm. In times like this, he might yell, or hit something, and sometimes it can be scary for people around him. 

Sawyer wants everyone to understand that he never means to scare or hurt anybody, and he always feels really bad if he does. If you see him getting upset, it’s best to try to ask him what’s wrong and how you can help. Laughing at him or staring at him only makes him feel embarrassed and upset, so it’s best to either try to help calm him down or get someone who can. 

Sawyer wants to explain to everyone that having autism doesn’t make somebody weird or crazy. It just means their brain works differently than others. Sometimes people with autism may like things that you think are “sus”, but hey- everybody likes different things, and that’s ok. You may think the color yellow is ick, but it might be someone else’s favorite color; just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean your friends can’t. 

If you ever meet anyone else with autism, just remember that autistic people want a lot of the same things everyone else does: friends, fun, love, and kindness. Their brains make some things hard for them, but they still want to be included and live life as normally as everyone else does.

To read more about Sawyer and how we found out he was autistic, you can read Sawyer’s Story, a blog previously shared on our former blog, Chicken Nugs and Mama Hugs.