Javi is a sweet and loving little boy who likes to make sure people are ok and make people smile. He knows no strangers – he will wave to almost anyone he sees and follow the wave by asking if they want a hug. He is a brilliant little boy whose timeline is just a little different than others.
Javi is inquisitive and creative, and he loves to mimic and learn. Ratatouille is one of his favorite movies. One day he was using a can as a pretend knife to “chop vegetables” like the Ratatouille character! He also loves to dance, especially to “Gamecocks,” which is actually “Sandstorm.”
Javi’s teachers say he is like the mayor – everyone knows who he is, and he seems to know everyone’s name. It’s nearly impossible to be in a bad mood when he is around.
2025 was especially challenging for Javi’s family when his mom was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer last summer. In addition to the usual therapies and activities for Javi, they had to plan around treatments and surgeries for his mom. They tried their best to maintain normalcy, but it was hard. Javi has been his loving little self throughout, but some behavioral challenges have developed over the course of the year. They’ve worked closely with his teachers and therapists to figure out ways for him to test his independence with a little less destruction and disruption.
Javi has become increasingly interested in puzzles. He is so proud of himself as he matches pieces, and it has been amazing to see his skills improve and he embraces the challenges of more difficult puzzles.
His family hopes that one day he can attend college and have a job that allows him to socialize and be independent. His mom says she never wants him to be underestimated or discounted because of a disability. Even though there are common characteristics of kids that have Down syndrome, each person is still unique. Two people with Down syndrome are just as different from each other as any two people without an extra chromosome are.