Jay Houston-Hynd is ambitious and knows he needs a good education to achieve his goals, but his autism, anxiety and OCD have been holding him back. He’s doing a lot better since his mum decided to home school him, and some help from Ecosa and Satan’s Little Helper has also made a positive difference as he strives to realise his goals.
Jay Houston-Hynd has struggled with anxiety issues for nearly his whole life.
“I think it started when he was about three-years-old, but it wasn’t until he was seven that we really noticed that his behaviour needed psychological treatment,” says his mum Melissa.
He’s now 14 and has been under the care of a psychologist for six years. He was recently diagnosed with autism, which Melissa says makes sense, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
“That diagnosis fits all his symptoms.”
Not always easy
Life has been a struggle for Jay. He’s now home schooled, as his anxiety and OCD combined to make school a disruptive environment for him.
“He developed a tic and his anxiety led to OCD. So, at school, he’d constantly go to the toilet to wash his hands and avoid social interactions, but he wouldn’t want to touch the door handles, so he’d have to stay there until someone let him out.”
Jay was missing class and was extremely anxious. He was living “on the edge of a serious breakdown” which was displayed in violent outbursts, so after being excluded for his disruptive behaviour, Melissa decided to teach him at home.
“He’s intelligent and given the space away from his triggers and get his mental health under control, he’s much calmer, happier and his OCD doesn’t impact anyone anymore.”
Making progress
Jay is working hard on his behaviour. Melissa used to describe him as a “recluse” but says he now goes out twice a week with a support worker and is making big strides in other areas of his life.
“His anxiety is down; he’s slowly introducing himself to previous triggers and he’s dealing with them a lot better.”
Despite his intelligence, Melissa says Jay can be a reluctant student and his over-stimulated outbursts can still rear their head when challenged.
To help give him a safe space and a way to de-stress, collect his thoughts, and avoid a meltdown, Satan’s Little Helper sent Jay a weighted blanket – which Ecosa donated for free!
Sweet dreams
“He’s been sleeping better. It used to take hours to get him to sleep and Jay would struggle to wake up, but with the blanket, he’s off to sleep much sooner and he sleeps better.
“He always used to be reluctant to start school in the morning, mainly because he was so tired, he couldn’t focus. He’s been less reluctant to start since we got the blanket!”
Melissa is proud of her boy, who has “come out the other side of a major dark cloud” and is ready to do things she thought would be beyond him – like a return to school.
“He has big dreams, and he wants to work towards a job that will suit his needs.”
Thanks to Ecosa and Satan’s Little Helper, he’s one step closer towards achieving that.