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Parents build train-themed tiny house in backyard for 21-year-old son with autism

"His own space, his own choices and agency. That’s so regulating!"

bobbystinyhouseworld/TikTok

Parents build 21-year-old autistic son a tiny home for independent living.

Tiny houses are an incredible living option. Compact yet complete with everything needed to live a full, independent life, living in a tiny home has been a game changer for Bobby, an autistic 21-year-old in West Virginia whose parents built him his own train-themed tiny home in their backyard.

Bobby, who has intellectual autism, a seizure disorder, and OCD, has been living in the home for over nine months. His parents have documented his tiny home living on TikTok, where they share what life is like for Bobby and the positive impact it has had in his life and theirs.

"Our solution to give some independence to our 20 year old son with profound autism is this backyard tiny home," his mother wrote in the video.

@bobbystinyhouseworld

Our solution to give some independence to our 20 year old son with profound autism is this backyard tiny home. He’s been living here for over 4 months and it’s going better than we could have ever imagined! #autism #profoundautism #autismadult #autismparenting #independentliving #tinyhouse

In the video, she gives a full tour of the exterior and interior of Bobby's tiny home. It is a 12 foot by 30 foot home that has enabled Bobby more freedom and independence.

But it's also been a game changer for her life as the parent of a child with autism as well. In another video, she explained the profound impact Bobby's tiny house move has had. "Our situation was dire. OCD had taken over every part of our life," she shared in a video explaining why they built Bobby his tiny house. "I told my husband, 'I'm done. I cannot do this,'" adding that their lives had become incredibly chaotic when the tiny house idea just came to her.

@bobbystinyhouseworld

#autism #profoundautism #autismadult #autismparenting #independentliving #tinyhouse

She continued by sharing, "I've let go of the control I've needed to have over his life for the past 20 years...from what I'm getting from his reaction of living on his own in that tiny home is that I think that control was so overwhelming for him. I know it was overwhelming for me. I didn't know how to deal with any of it."

On top of helping ease her struggles with control, the tiny house has also helped Bobby immensely. "Bobby has been living in his tiny house for 9 months. It’s been 9 months with no meltdowns, no aggression, 9 months of him eating new foods with ease. He’s happier, my husband and I are happier. By far, the best decision we’ve ever made!" she wrote in the caption of another video.

Although Bobby now has his own space, she notes that his tiny home doesn't have everything a normal "house" would, including things like a stove, a washer and dryer to do laundry, or a TV. She also adds that having security cameras inside and outside of the home has been vital to making sure Bobby is safe in his new place.

@bobbystinyhouseworld

He has his own ice maker, but prefers ours 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣 #autism #profoundautism #autismparents #autismparenting #ocd #specialneeds #autismadult #independentliving #tinyhouse

And they continue to work on daily living skills, like taking out the garbage. "Working on daily living skills has been so much easier to do in his tiny house. It’s his space and he’s much more cooperative in doing these tasks," she wrote.

Bobby's viewers absolutely love following his tiny home journey and personal growth through his independent living.

"As a momma of an autistic son, this melts my heart," one wrote.

"This is a huge accomplishment for an adult on the spectrum! Giving him independence and his own space is amazing!!!❤️" said another.

Another viewer wrote, "His own space, his own choices and agency. That’s so regulating!"


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Helicopter's thermal imaging helps save a young autistic girl lost in a Florida swamp

“I just love how the deputy greeted her. What a beautiful ending. You guys are the best!”

via WPBF 25/YouTube

A deputy locates a missing girl in a Florida swamp.

A 5-year-old with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) wandered off into a swamp near Tampa, Florida, around 5:00 pm on Monday, February 26. The good news is that the girl was saved in about an hour thanks to the work of some brave sheriff’s officers and their incredible thermal technology.

The girl wandered from her home and was quickly reported missing by her family to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department. The sheriff quickly dispatched its aviation unit that used thermal imaging technology to scan the nearby swamplands to try to find the young girl before nightfall.

Thermal imaging technology captures images based on the heat emitted by objects, allowing us to see temperature differences even in the dark, making it super handy for night vision and heat detection. The thermal technology helped the officers quickly identify the girl from high above the trees.

"Hey, I think I got her in the woods," a deputy in the helicopter told deputies on the ground. "She might be able to hear her name if you call her. She might be about 80 feet in front of you."

When the deputy on the ground spotted the girl, she lifted her arms and walked toward him. He picked her up and brought her to safety. "Let's get you out of the water. I'll get you to everyone," he told her as they walked out of the swamp.

The sheriff’s department said it was all in a day’s work for the deputies. "Their quick action saved the day, turning a potential tragedy into a hopeful reunion," it said in a statement. "Their dedication shows what service and protection are all about here at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office."

The Sheriff’s Office shared a video of the rescue on its Facebook page and people loved how the deputy greeted the girl, who must have been extremely scared. “I love how happy they were when they found her—they made it seem normal and a good time, keeping her calm. Well done!” Jan Murray wrote. “I just love how the deputy greeted her. What a beautiful ending. You guys are the best!” Sandy Schlabaugh-Kmentt added.

florida, autism, thermal imaging

Young girl lost in a swamp safely in police custody.

via WPBF 25/YouTube

Crime and safety analyst explained how the thermal technology works to News4Jax in Jacksonville, Florida. “It is a piece of equipment that actually will lock on to that heat signature,” Hackney said. “So no matter where that helicopter is moving, trying to orbit a certain area to look for the missing child, once it picks up on that heat signature and identifies it, it doesn’t lose it. So the units on the ground are able to move in like you saw.”

It is common for children with ASD to wander off from their caregivers or secure locations. The behavior is known as eloping. Children with ASD elope for a wide variety of reasons. Loud, frantic situations such as a child’s birthday party may be too stressful for a child with ASD, so they may leave the event unaccompanied to get to somewhere more calm. Others may elope because they enjoy the thrill of being chased by a parent or caregiver, even though it may unknowingly place them into a dangerous situation.

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A 9-year-old just perfectly broke down what living with autism is like for him.

George Yionoulis is pretty much your typical 9-year-old.

The fourth-grader from Raleigh, North Carolina, loves "Harry Potter," making art, and eating tacos.

Oh, and he loooooooves dancing. The kid has some serious moves.

While it's pretty easy to understand why George loves tacos (who doesn't?), there are some things George does that aren't quite as easy for people to understand. That's because when was 2 years old, his parents discovered has an autism spectrum disorder.

George's autism makes it harder for his classmates at Douglas Elementary School to relate to him. So he used a class project to help them understand him a little better.

George wrote, narrated, edited, and produced a video called "My Autism" and even created an original score to accompany the six-minute clip.

"Hi, everybody. My name is George," George begins his voiceover as text reading "GEORGE ... and AUTISM" flashes across the screen before cutting to footage of George dancing.

"Let me tell you a little about myself," he continues. "I have fun dancing, I have fun making music, I love to draw and make art, and ... wait for it ... I have this thing called autism."

In the video, George shares some of his unique quirks — things he knows his classmates have noticed about him but maybe haven't had the courage to ask about.

Like the fact that he has trouble making eye contact with people when they speak to him, though he says he's gotten better about it. "I might not have been looking, but that didn't mean I wasn't listening," he explains.

"Speaking of listening," he continues. "I can hear and see a lot of things and sounds all at the same time, which sometimes makes it hard to focus on any one sound or thought. That's why it might take a little more time to answer you when you ask a question."

He also has trouble with metaphors and figures of speech, which is common for kids with autism, and advises his classmates to be as literal and clear with him as possible.

"If you say 'take a seat,' you might find one less chair in your classroom," he jokes.

George also opens up about some of the challenges he faces and hopes the video will help his friends understand why he sometimes gets angry, cries, or yells."

I sometimes get frustrated when I get interrupted or when something doesn't go as planned," he admits. "Or when something unexpected happens. Or when I make a mistake."

In a courageous peek behind the curtain, George even includes video of himself — at a much younger age — throwing a tantrum at a book reading as well as audio of himself stumbling with his words while recording the narration for the video and becoming audibly frustrated. "But I messed up!" he cries.

"(Some of those) are just kid things to get frustrated about, and I'm a kid just like you," he says. "All us kids are different in our own ways, right?"

At the end, George asks his classmates to come talk to him, ask him questions, or invite him to play — even if it seems like he might not want to.

"I like having fun, just like you. So if you ever see me playing by myself, it doesn't necessarily mean I don't want to play with you, too," he tells them. "I always want to play with you."

His heartwarming honesty and larger-than-life on-screen personality are so compelling, it's no wonder the video has gone viral. Shortly after the video went up on YouTube and Facebook, it racked up tens of thousands of views and hundreds of comments.

Initially, it was only meant for George's 21 elementary school classmates.

"The feedback we're getting is, 'I showed this to my 6-year-old who has autism, I showed this to my 12-year-old who has autism,' and they're going, 'Me too, and we could be friends!'" his mother, Lisa Jolley told Raleigh-Durham's WTVD/ABC11.

In a world where people with autism aren't often given the chance to speak for themselves, it's both really cool and really significant that George has taken control of his own life story and experience and is sharing them in his own words. At only 9 years old, he's already making huge strides in helping the world better understand a condition that affects about 1 in 68 kids in the United States.

Watch the full video below, and you'll probably learn something new yourself.

At the very least, you're bound to fall in love with this charming and courageous kid.

George's journey with autism at 9 years old. This is the video he shared with his fourth grade class to help them understand why he behaves the way he does...

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Mom's relatable videos show that nonverbal autism doesn't mean communication isn't happening

He has little issue expressing his feelings without words.

Shae N Ste'ce|TikTok

Mom's videos show how her nonverbal son communicates.

Autism is a pretty broad spectrum and each autistic person is unique, with their own capabilities and limitations. There is no one-size-fits-all autism diagnosis or characteristics, so you may run into autistic people who are really bubbly and talkative, but you may also meet some who have limited or no vocabulary with more complex challenges.

Some people may believe that nonverbal autistic people either don't communicate or don't know how to communicate. One mom is challenging that perception with the videos she uploads to social media proving that using words isn't the only way someone can get their point across. Shae runs the TikTok account shae_n_stece where she shows the interactions she has with her nonverbal son, Ste'ce.

Shae gives her followers an inside look at how communication works without words. While she does plenty of talking herself, it's clear that Ste'ce's facial expressions are an equally valuable part of the conversation.

In one video, Ste'ce is ready for bed and decides that his mom needs to close her door, too, so they can both get some rest. The only problem is, Shae isn't ready for bed and a disagreement ensues. Clearly, Ste'ce is having some strong feelings over his mom's refusal to abide by his desire and he let her know. The mom joked, "Idk how I know what he saying but I do," in the caption of the video.

@shae_n_stece

Idk how I know what he saying but i do 😂 #shaenstece #autisticadult #adultsonsbetrippin #funny

In another equally amusing video, Ste'ce tells his mom the truth about how he feels about her working from home. It left Mom with some hurt feelings but he was very obviously unbothered. Sometimes the truth hurts but honesty is always best, right?

@shae_n_stece

Dang my feelings hurt😂😂 #shaenstece #autismacceptance #momandson

The entire account is full of videos showing Ste'ce's sassy personality along with some pretty big wins, like when he ate green beans. Another video shows him sitting through a haircut, though he doesn't like the sound of clippers and only tolerates it for the fresh results at the end.

Communication comes in all forms, and Ste'ce is proving that you don't have to speak or use sign language to have an opinion.

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