Hayden's World
Embedded Files
Sarah Mosquera
Team Cobb
Story Summary
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On Tuesdays, 10-year-old Hayden Parker eats mozzarella sticks on his way to occupational therapy. He sits in the back seat and peels off the outer crust, scooping out the gooey insides and setting aside a pile of crispy strips. When he goes to his grandma’s house for dinner, he refuses to enter the kitchen due to the metallic rooster that sits atop the fridge. And after feeding Champ, his therapy horse, a bowl of oats during their evening session, he inches closer and gently asks, “Hug, please?” then patiently awaits the horse’s consent.
Hayden began exhibiting signs of severe autism when he was just six months old. The doctors categorize him as non-verbal because he will not answer when spoken to, but he does, in fact, talk -- a lot. He loves videos, both watching and making them. He even has his own YouTube page. “When I tell people that my son’s autistic, people will often say, ‘Oh, I'm so sorry’ and I’m like, don’t be! Hayden lives a great life,” his mom Lucy said.
The structured routine Lucy has created for her son enables him to live an enjoyable and relatively easy life in Sedalia, Missouri. Hayden watches the same 20-second clip of the show Bubble Guppies every morning before school. While pacing around the living room, he gleefully rewatches his favorite moment from the show in preparation for the day ahead. His noise-blocking headphones accompany him on every outing, especially if younger children are around. And at night his service dog, Delta, lays across his legs -- a calming presence as he drifts to sleep before waking up and starting all over again.
Hayden Parker, 10, uses his tablet to film a video of himself while his father, Tom Parker waits in line at the pharmacy in Sedalia, Mo. on Sept. 27, 2023. When Hayden's parents take him to WalMart, they have a structured routine to help prevent him from feeling over-stimulated. Hayden has severe autism, which makes everyday tasks like grocery shopping difficult without proper protocols in place.
Tom pats his 10-year-old son Hayden on the back after Hayden's Thursday night baseball game with other children with disabilities.
Hayden is sensitive to loud noises, so when his one-year-old nieces Te’leigha, at front, and Ayana visit, he wears his noise-blocking headphones. “He doesn’t mind Ayana,” his mom Lucy Parker said. “But something about Te’leigha’s pitch really upsets him.”
Hayden has a condition called pica that causes him to eat many non-food items. His parents always keep a close eye on him to prevent him from eating anything hazardous.
Hayden sits in the back seat as his parents load items into the trunk.
Hayden spends time in his school's sensory room, which helps him regulate throughout the day. The school recently installed a swing to help with overstimulation. Hayden's teacher said they cover him with a weighted blanket if he's wound up.
Instructors Rike Mueller, at right, and Samantha Richardson help Hayden ride Champ at Remember to Dream, a therapeutic riding center in Cole Camp, Mo. Every Tuesday after his ride, Hayden feeds Champ a bowl of oats and asks the horse, “Hug please?”
Hayden tries hitting the ball during a baseball game at Liberty Park. His sister, Jaelyn, helps him run between bases and will help if he has trouble swinging the bat.
Hayden’s sister, Jaelyn Parker, kisses him on the cheek after his Thursday night baseball game. “Whenever we ask Hayden who his favorite is, he says Jaelyn," Hayden’s mom Lucy said.
At school, Hayden spends much of the day with teacher and autism specialist Kristen Patrick, at left.
Hayden's sister Tandis comforts him after dinner at their grandmother’s house. Hayden is afraid of the metallic rooster who sits atop the refrigerator and refuses to enter the kitchen because of it.
Hayden kisses his mother Lucy on the front porch in the morning before school. “If I ask Hayden for a kiss, he won’t listen, but when I say, ‘Can I have something right here,’ he will kiss both my cheeks and my forehead,” Lucy said.
Brian Kratzer, Co-Director
Alyssa Schukar, Co-Director
Hany Hawasly, Technical Director
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