Meet John Fletcher III, affectionately known as J3, and Hope For Three’s July Autism All-Star!! J3 loves to travel, spend time with his family, and is a dedicated athlete and creative genius!!
J3 was diagnosed in 2016 at the age of five with autism. At ten years old, he is heading to 5th grade at James C. Neil Elementary School, and his diagnosis has not slowed him down. He is an excellent student who maintained an all “A” average throughout the last school year. He loves to learn and is especially gifted in Math and Science. He can complete math equations in his head, and he conducts extra science experiments at home for fun, such as building electrical circuit boards and creating chemical mixtures. He enjoys taking a basic concept and expanding upon it, adding levels of difficulty and creativity. J3 is also an excellent teacher who loves to teach his younger sister and those around him everything he learns.
He has overcome social anxiety and grown to be a committed and skilled athlete. J3 enjoys playing basketball with the Special Olympics and baseball in the League of Champions. This past season he was even selected MVP of his basketball team despite being the shortest player!
J3 is a talented artist with a passion for drawing, creating things out of Legos, and using items around the house to make 2D and 3D masterpieces!! He enjoys designing his board games and doing STEM-related projects. His creativity is genuinely seen when he builds vehicles, buildings, and even stadiums from scratch using Legos after seeing them in videos or commercials.
J3 and his family are extremely close. They love to spend time together attending church, traveling, fishing, and going on adventures together. His 6-year-old sister, Tahiry, is one of his biggest supporters and fans. She loves spending time with J3 and is very nurturing and protective of him. They enjoy being in the church choir together.
J3 is the inspiration behind J3’s Corner, a blog page where his family shares their experiences as a family living with autism. They aspire to provide hope and encouragement to families with special needs children and show that families can live life to the fullest despite having a child with special needs.
When J3 finds something that he loves, he devotes himself to becoming the absolute best that he can be at it!! He also is always thinking of others and putting their feelings and needs above his own. He has such a kind heart that he will purposely lose a game or race to try and make the other participants feel better. All these things are what make J3 an Autism All-Star!!
Interview and Story authored by Nycole McMahon.