In a Houston studio, photographer TréVoy Kelly works his magic behind the camera. On the other side of the lens stands a tall, handsome young model in a business suit. Nick Johnson looks intently into the camera, moving back and forth at the direction of Mr. Kelly.
TréVoy shares, "It was a pleasure and honor working with Nick. He had so much charisma and an amazing personality. Working with him was enjoyable because he came into the photo shoot enthusiastic, prepared and ready to work. He made my job easier." On his website, TréVoy states his goal as a photographer is to, “use his gift to convey an impactful message to the world as it relates to art and spirituality.” The story conveyed on this day, was one of faith, promise and overcoming the challenges of a life with autism.
Born to Joe and Regina Johnson on October 4th 1997, in La Jolla, California, Nick grew up in a house full of siblings and laughter. When he was four years old, the family relocated to Texas. Regina says, “as a mother I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew something was different. He was still doing all the kid things. He wouldn’t ask, he would go get it himself. He became the most self-sufficient kid in the house so he wouldn’t have to ask.” In elementary school, he would come home and sit on the sofa with schoolbooks. His mom remembers, “We thought he was reading, but he had a photographic memory.” In those years a psychologist diagnosed Nick, because he was delayed in speech, “but if you didn’t fit all the criteria, they weren’t willing to qualify him as autistic.”
FACTS ABOUT AUTISM:
• In 2018 the CDC determined that approximately 1 in 59 children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• 1 in 37 boys
• 1 in 151 girls
• Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.
• Most children were still being diagnosed after age 4, though autism can be reliably diagnosed as early as age 2.
• 31% of children with ASD have an intellectual disability (intelligence quotient [IQ] <70), 25% are in the borderline range (IQ 71–85), and 44% have IQ scores in the average to above average range (i.e., IQ >85).
• Autism affects all ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
• Minority groups tend to be diagnosed later and less often.
• Early intervention affords the best opportunity to support healthy development and deliver benefits across the lifespan.
• There is no medical detection for autism.
As an intermediate student, Nick received an official diagnosis of autism. Nick’s mom shares, “He was the kind of kid…if he didn’t say something, he seemed “normal.” My prayer was, dear God, make him normal. My thought as a parent …make him normal. You find yourself trying to intercept and intervene to make him comfortable. I was praying and looking at other kids….and God says to me, “he’s not the one with the problem, you are.” He was playing with kids, he had friends, and everyone loved Nick. I was so afraid that I was making it worse than it actually was. No parent wants their kid to be broken. You want the star athlete, the honor roll kid, and I remember praying, “we might not have that, but God fix him”. And God said, “he’s already fixed.” Now, we wouldn’t change a thing.””
His mother says her concern then was “people want to put limits on us on a daily basis as it is, imagine if you are a special needs student? It’s like they quit listening to you when you have a special needs child and tried to put him in a cookie cutter plan. Thankfully, God put people in place that believed outside of the box.” As a young student, Nick had amazing educators that were “Godly people with big hearts who encouraged him and helped him from becoming non-verbal to verbal in four months,” and then helped him navigate the school day as he grew older.
Statistics show nearly two-thirds of children with autism between the ages of 6 and 15 have been bullied. I asked Regina if Nick was ever bullied in school. She says, “he’s been teased and bullied, but he is a defender of others.” She remembers when Nick was in the tenth grade, a bully approached the teacher to hit the teacher…and Nick jumped in and took the blows. “He’s always been that child.” She goes on to say, “He struggles sometimes in crowds or trying to find his norm in a group. When he can’t fit in, he separates, but we as a family try not to let that happen. He’s comfortable with who he is.” “He’s been influenced in powerful way by his older brother, Markus. (Continue on next page)