
I’m Drake.
I’m a 6 – year old boy with a big personality! I’m originally from Pensacola, Florida, but my dad got out of the US Navy, when I was 3 months old. He was Active Duty for over 15 years, with some of the most elite forces in the world and had some pretty cool adventures. After I came into the world, he decided that he wanted to be home more with mom and I 🙂
My parents packed us up and chose a random place in the US to move to..San Antonio, Texas. That began my love of road-trips. We hit the road September, 2017 with my 3 very big protective dogs. They always watch over me and keep me out of trouble. There’s so many fun things to do around the city that I now call home.
When I was around six months old, my parents started taking me around to lots of doctors appointments. My mom tells me that I have Autism III – nonverbal, ADHD, Cerebral Palsy, PVL, Nystagmus, Absence Seizures, Insomnia, along with some rare genetic disorders..
That list may sound a bit scary, but don’t worry, my parents have an entire team of top doctors, therapists, specialists, and advocates across the country who have been tracking me since we moved to Texas. They’re pretty great and help my parents make sure that I can live my best life and get to have fun like everyone else! I’m a very energetic, happy, fun loving guy, who loves to play every chance I get. Read more about how I was diagnosed here!
I’m always on the go, exploring the world around me on fun cross country road-trips my parents take me on, and making new friends everywhere I go. I love Lightning Mcqueen, Alphablocks, Disney, playing with my hot-wheels, cruising in my RC Jeep, wagon rides, playing at new parks, jumping on the trampoline (I can jump all day and night!), Dave & Busters, Chuck E Cheese, Morgan’s Wonderland, and Waterparks. My favorite waterpark so far in the entire US is the Wisconsin Dells – Kalahari Resort.
I can spend hours watching YouTube videos about anything and everything. But my true superpower is my ability to learn languages and remember things with my photographic memory. I’ve memorized every country flag just from seeing them once – how cool is that?
I might not be able to use words to communicate yet, but I have so much to say and so much to show the world. Being non-verbal with autism and special needs doesn’t mean that I can’t understand or don’t have feelings. I can actually understand what everyone is saying and can read fluently. That’s where my mom comes in – She helps the world see the way I see things and helps me communicate, by sharing my experiences on this blog. She writes about all the fun things we do together, reviews of my favorite things, not so favorite things, and all of the progress along the way!
Life might be full of challenges as a special needs child, but I’m here to show how much fun can be had on this adventure. My biggest hope is that I can help change the world by increasing awareness, acceptance, and inclusion for all kids of all abilities. I and other kids just want to make friends and be included. I hope you stick around and follow my journey!
