\u201cInitially it was really, really hard. I did a lot of crying and praying,\u201d Nicole said. \u201cAutism comes in different forms. He started out not being able to talk at all, but through hard work his speech got better to the point some people don\u2019t believe he is autistic. That creates problems because when he acts a certain way, or has a little episode, people start passing judgment. They don\u2019t realize there\u2019s a spectrum.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each day, Nicole and Blake wake up in the morning to do school work and to practice his speech at home. Afterwards, he is dropped off at Moonrise, a structured community space for homeschooled children where they are able to learn and socialize with others. Unless Blake is playing a sport, which Nicole typically volunteers as a coach, he is building 5,000 piece LEGO sets at home, or working on his clothing brand, BLEU by Blake Landon<\/strong>. In the midst of all of that, Nicole finds time to work. She is often exhausted physically and mentally.<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n BLEU\u00a0stands for\u00a0B<\/strong>uild\u00a0L<\/strong>ove\u00a0E<\/strong>mbrace\u00a0U<\/strong>niqueness. It encourages people to celebrate the differences that people have. Nicole works with Blake on a daily basis, to build the brand. She often marvels at his creativity and the progress he has made, not only with his speaking, but how he fearlessly navigates each day despite the obstacles he has faced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe wanted to be a YouTube star back then at four years old, but he couldn\u2019t speak yet,\u201d she said. \u201cOne time he wanted some money, so he drew some pictures that he wanted to sell and sent them to my family members. Everyone bought a picture and he got the money. From that point on, he was sold on being a young businessman.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n It would take two and a half more years until Blake would experience a breakthrough. Due to the support from his parents and a speech therapist, he was finally able to utter his first words. Fast-forward to today, and Blake can be found with his apparel engaging patrons at major conferences and events, as well as sharing inspirational messages on social media and speaking at schools. He excels especially when interacting with adults. In the summer of 2022, he won the award for most books read by a kid in Fulton County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is still a long uphill battle ahead, but Nicole’s goal is to equip Blake to one day live on his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis has required a lot of strength and patience, and much of that I had to learn from Blake. We have pushed and we have cried,\u201d Nicole said. \u201cThe end goal is for him to live on his own. He says he wants a family and to have kids when he grows up. I want that for him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nicole and Blake plan to continue advocating for autism awareness, as well as other developmental disabilities. Although Blake\u2019s level of autism is considered high functioning, it ranges across the spectrum, and Nicole hopes that people will learn to be more aware before passing judgment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want people to be kind when they see a kid going through something, and not be so judgmental,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve gotten the nasty looks, the comments, and I know others deal with it every day because people don’t understand.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I want people to change their perspective on what they see because when you see a kid passing out on the floor or screaming and crying, I can guarantee you that mother is doing the best she can with what she has. Most times she is going through just as much stress as the kid and there is nothing she can do about it. Ask the mother if she is ok. If she needs some help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more information and to keep up with Nicole Woods and Blake, follow them on Instagram\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0or by visiting the website at\u00a0https:\/\/bleubyblakelandon.shop<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n Nicole Woods, a former professional boxer and current paramedic from Stone Mountain, GA has had her share of battles both inside and outside of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"[]","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1706],"tags":[2840,58,18,2841],"class_list":["post-10941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-autism-awareness-month","tag-community","tag-femi-magazine","tag-parenthood"],"aioseo_notices":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/femimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-19.png\")
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