Kelton's Story

March 31, 2011
By Ainsley

In 1998, my five-year-old brother, Kelton, was diagnosed with autism by a team from a prominent children’s hospital. Kelton is a talented individual who runs cross-country and track, wrestles, plays the drums, loves history, and collects bobble heads and key chains. He aspires to be the youngest historian in U.S. history and hopes to eventually be a famous genius like Albert Einstein and Andy Warhol.

In his senior year, he has qualified for the cross-country post-season race, was initiated into the high school honor society, placed eighth at the Washington state wrestling tournament, and was chosen as the senior homecoming and prom king. He also enrolled in his first art class and started an art blog about his key chains, called Keychain A Day.

Kelton has gotten to this point because he is driven and confident. He knows that he has autism, but isn’t afraid to meet new people and be himself. When he’s interested in something, he has the ability to be the best, which was proven this year by becoming one of the most competitive wrestlers in the state. Despite his diagnosis, he has become a successful individual with a future that surpasses the diagnostic team’s professional conclusion: “Your child will always be mentally retarded.”

We couldn’t be more proud of him