Spelling out God’s love, one letter at a time
For years, the things Gavin Schultz wanted to say were trapped inside him. Autism silenced him, even though his mind and his heart were filled with messages of God’s love. Then one day, God and his family set him on a new path. Now, at age 17, Gavin is an ambassador for an autism advocacy nonprofit and a public speaker.
At birth, Gavin was healthy. It wasn’t until he turned two that his mom, Cindy, noticed a change in his
behavior. She soon discovered autism had “stolen” her son, but she fought to get him back.
“I always feel like I’m the voice for the voiceless. I knew there was something in there that needed to come out,” Cindy said.
The change has been dramatic, and it started when Gavin was 9. That’s when Cindy discovered rapid prompting method (RPM), a therapy that allowed Gavin to use his hands to point to letters and spell words. Along with additional therapies and unconditional love from God, family and friends, RPM has helped Gavin flourish, and finally say what’s on his mind.
“RPM has been an answer to my prayers. I have lived in silence for way too many years. I have a voice that needs to be heard,” Gavin spelled. “People think because I have autism and struggle to speak I am stupid. Well I am here today to show them otherwise. Thanks to God, who uses my weaknesses to be my strongest strengths, I am able to share my thoughts by spelling, using RPM or my iPad.”
Starting with RPM founder Soma Mukhopadhyay, Gavin worked on RPM for a weekend, then with
another therapist once a month for 45 minutes. Now, he and therapist Jackie Dorshorst meet weekly, and Gavin is sometimes able to use an iPad to record his thoughts.
Cindy homeschools Gavin, and the pair started a blog this year — The Hopeful One. A stack of notes dictated by Gavin will become a book of daily devotions, a project Gavin is passionate about.
“Gavin’s faith is strong and he is constantly thanking God and is so humble, and it’s just so neat to see his faith shine through him,” Cindy said. “It blows me away what he spells out sometimes.”
That faith drew the family to Jesus Cares Ministries (JCM). Gavin attends JCM Bible study at Friedens
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wis., and Worship at the Cross services at New Hope Lutheran Church in Racine, Wis. Gavin loves going to church, where he feels close to God. Sitting through a typical service isn’t easy, though.
“Everyone deserves the right to hear God’s word, but a regular church service might be too long and
overwhelming. Jesus Cares services are just the right amount of time,” Gavin said. “We get to sing and play instruments, learn a Bible verse, hear God’s message from the Bible, give a love offering and have Christian fellowship after. Jesus Cares Ministries Worship at the Cross means the world to me. It allows us to share God’s love with all special needs families around the world.”
With all the positive changes, life is good for Gavin. But the hard parts are still there.
“I have many gifts and talents to be thankful for. God blesses his children abundantly. I do struggle with my autism at times; anxiety can get a hold of me. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is also challenging in my life. I hate when it makes me do something over and over again. It is hard to control my body, sounds I make, and look normal to people,” Gavin said. “I would love to see what ‘normal’ looks like; don’t we all have things about us we are not sure are quite right?”
When his body is under control, Gavin likes to venture into the community with Rusty, his autism service dog. Part of Gavin’s work is to promote Autism Solution Pieces (ASP), a nonprofit Cindy co-founded. ASP hosts fun events for families, raises funds and awareness and pitches in with other needs when they arise.
“We are there for families. We are an email or a phone call away to help them so they are not alone
on this journey,” Cindy said.
Gavin was even able to share his experiences, including his love for JCM, at the AutismOne
conference this year, an internationally known gathering.
“This is where Gavin did his first public speaking engagement. When he talks about God having big
plans for him, I believe he’s right,” Cindy said.
Big plans like being a messenger for God. When others ask Gavin how they can help the autism community, he tells them to do what Jesus would do: “Show unconditional love to everyone you meet.”
“God wouldn’t create any of us as a mistake in his awesome design of humankind,” Gavin said.