Celebrating Diversity Blog Series - Jackson!
This is the last installment of our Diversity Blog Series. I have loved introducing you to all of these amazing little SwimZip fans and if you enjoyed this series be sure to leave a comment here or on our Instagram feed so I know if you'd like to us to do another series like this in the future!
Today I'm excited to introduce you to Jackson Lipscomb, his mom Jessica, dad Matt, and little bro Miles! Jackson was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder late last year.
Autism has a vast spectrum for where each kids abilities fall. Jackson has difficulty with verbal communication but thanks to the amazing dedication of his parents and therapists he is working on developing his non-verbal communication to be able to navigate his day to day life more easily! He is working on using sign language and his CORE or PECS board which has images he can use to communicate his needs to others. One of his favorite things is his mini trampoline that the Lipscomb's have set up for him in their house. The trampoline provides Jackson a sense of peace and comfort and while jumping on it he gives the best eye contact and responds to most requests from his parents!
I asked Jessica what it's like parenting a child with Autism and she had some amazing insight! It's easy to take things for granted like your child's ability to respond to their name or being able to use utensils but Autism has a very broad spectrum and no two kids are the same. You have to be open to feeling all of the ups and downs of parenting. Some days are perfect with no meltdowns and others are crazy but you never have to pretend everything is perfect. Acknowledging the smallest victories is important and knowing that Autism is a genetic disorder helps- your parenting did not cause this and there's no need to stress yourself out to figure out what did.
Jackson LOVES any and everything that involves water. Our rash guards provide great sun protection for him while he's out exploring but Jessica states that the zipper guard, or the piece of fabric that covers the zipper pull and keeps the zipper teeth from rubbing his skin, is the best feature! As a child with Autism Jackson can sometimes become hyper focused on the sensation of zipper teeth rubbing against his skin. With the zipper guard, that all of our rash guards feature, he doesn't have to be bothered by that! Some of Jackson's favorite suits include our Shorties and our Rash Guards! And I mean... how cute do they all look in our Palm Leaf print suits!
I encourage you all to go say Hi to Jackson and his family and continue to follow their journey on their Instagram and their blog!
A big THANK YOU to the four amazing families we highlighted during this series. I am so grateful for their help and support of SwimZip and am so glad SwimZip is able to help make their lives even the littlest bit easier!
1 comment
This story resonates with us so much. My son also has amazing ability’s and is autistic. One reason we buy the rash guards is because he doesn’t like the ones you have to pull over his face. He doesn’t like the feeling. So when we saw yours and they had a zipper, wow!! Water time has been a happy time now and not a frustrating issue.
Thanks SwimZip!!!
Marie Kissick
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