Sullivan

Written by Ashley Wells

Sullivan is a 5 year old boy who experiences Autism Spectrum Disorder and Mixed Expressive Receptive Language Disorder. 

Sullivan is an incredibly sweet natured, loving, and affectionate boy who has a lot of energy to burn. He is a great helper, and loves to be around animals and other people. When he grows up, he wants to be a racecar driver, taxi driver, bus driver….. Really any kind of driver. He also says he wants to be a papa, his mom believes he just wants to be called papa. 

Sullivan recently participated in “Tiny Superheroes,” a non-profit organization for children with disabilities. He received a cape and some patches to go on the cape. 

With higher functioning Autism comes a unique challenge in the “invisible disorder.” Often times, Sullivan’s parents (and other families) have to defend their child’s diagnosis to others, because some people have preconceived notions about what autism is and how it should look. That unique challenge can make it more difficult to get the services needed.

Sullivan’s parents are terrific advocates for him, and hope to teach him to be able to advocate for himself. They hope that he lives his life happy and healthy, that he finds something he is passionate about, and that he is strong enough to advocate for himself and others.