MIRACLE MONDAYS – Jack Tracy
Autism is never an easy diagnosis for any family. For the Tracy family, the Autism diagnosis for their son Jack came when he was just 3 years old.
“Jack was born with torticollis due to his position in the womb,” said Ashley Tracy, Jack’s Mom. “He received physical therapy for a period of time and had motor delays as an infant. Around 2 ½, he was speaking very little and starting to have meltdowns related to sensory things. We got the Autism diagnosis when he was 3.”
The diagnosis was hard to accept for the Tracy family. “I’m a school social worker so I could see the signs but as a parent it’s hard to accept and see the regression and the difficulty our child was having,” Ashley said. “It was devastating at times not knowing what the future would hold”
Jack’s diagnosis was labeled at Autism level 3 (the most severe type). “The most difficult part of the process was seeing how upset he would get with sensory triggers as well as accepting that he was different.”
Once therapy began, Jack made great strides. “He’s been doing wonderful! He speaks in 4-5 word sentences now. He knows all of his colors, shapes, abcs and more. He can state our names for emergency purposes as well as his name and age. He has made tremendous progress since starting therapy in December 2017!”
The Tracy family is extremely thankful for the tremendous help they’ve gotten from Pediatric Rehabilitation at St. John’s. “We are forever grateful for the therapists in Pedi Rehab that helped Jack blossom!”
What are John and Ashley’s future hopes for Jack? “We want Jack to have every opportunity that a non-autistic child has. Our hopes and dreams are that Jack will continue to make progress towards his goals. That he will be able to catch up with his peers. I hope that he can form lasting friendships and accomplish anything he sets his mind on!”
Do you have a miracle child that was treated as HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital? Facebook message us or email dave.newton@hshs.org and tell us your story! #miraclemondays