My 18 year old son has Asperger’s and was so encouraged to see a young adult with aspergers on TV who could be a role model for people with ASD. Watching you on ANTM surely must have given much hope to other young people with ASD and may have possibly helped others understand what Aspergers is about. As you know, life with ASD can be rewarding and challenging. My son, like you, is a very talented artist who is also a perfectionist with his art and he wants to become a game designer as well as an artist.

We are a military family and participate in an Autism Support Group at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and would like to invite you to visit Fort Knox on 18 October for the ‘Make a Difference Day’ event that is scheduled for Fort Knox families and the surrounding community. Our Make a Difference event will focus on Autism and we will be ‘beading to beat autism’ on that day with proceeds going to autism research and to assist families of autisic children.

1 of every 150 children in the civilian sector are diagnosed with autism while 1 in 88 children of military members are diagnosed with autism. It is not understood why more children of military families are diagnosed with Autism, but our goal is to offer support and information as well as to provide the opportunity for family members to gather together to talk about our children and what works well and what doesn’t work.
The support group and the information provided by our facilitators have been very rewarding for me because my son wasn’t diagnosed until he was 13 and I never knew anyone else with an autistic child. I also understand now that early intervention is so important in helping autistic children learn to communicate and to meet their developmental milestones like their peers.

The Fort Knox support group is hosting the ‘Make a Difference Day’ on 18 October and we would be ever so honored to have you as a spokesperson for the event. We will be ‘beading to beat autism’ with 13 year old Michaela Riggs of Louisville, whose 7 year old brother is autistic. So far, Michaela has raised well over $200,000 for research for autism and to assist needy families with autistic children. Michaela has enlisted the help of friends, churches, children with ASD and their families to make bracelets that are sold for $3 with funds going to research and family assistance.

Heather, if you would be able to attend, my family and I would be happy to open our home to you and your family or we would pay for a room for you and your family to stay on Fort Knox or at a hotel outside of Fort Knox. We would also be happy to take you and your family sight seeing if you should decide to visit Fort Knox. We are about an hour away from Louisville, Kentucky.

We would also understand if you are not able to participate on such short notice. However, if you are not able to join us at this time, we would like to leave an open invitation to you to visit with us at any time. If you are unable to attend but would like to visit via video or satellite, we can make arrangements to do that as well.

Most importantly, Heather, thank you for putting the face of autism on TV so that others can see that people with ASD are very capable of being who and what they want to be. You have definitely not let Aspergers define you and your character and personality are inspring.

We look forward to hearing from you and hope to make your acquaintance soon.

Respectfully,

Lynn Young and Devin Young
270-737-0951

just words of congrates

your favourite fan will always remember you

jordan to…..

Thank you for continuing to be an inspiration to my teenaged daughter. You have provided her with the confidence that she, as a person with Asperger’s-like traits, will be accepted with all of her quirkiness and differences. She looks forward to the day that she meets you! As do I!