Colton High senior Jacob Hanson is making his way forward as he deals with autism.

Colton High student shows that having autism is not being broken

Colton High School senior Jacob Hanson was diagnosed with autism at an early age and exhibits many traits associated with the spectrum. However, this has not deterred him from graduating alongside his peers this spring.

He is currently finishing his senior project entitled, “Learning Life Skills Through Volunteering.”

He volunteers weekly at the Colton Helping Hands Food Pantry. On his volunteer day, Jacob and his one-on-one advisor, Lisa Kobielsky, go to the pantry for an hour as part of his school day.

Pantry coordinator Rebecca Kollias leaves him a note with job instructions and prepares everything for stocking the shelves. Hanson reads the note and directions, then stocks the shelves meticulously, never losing focus on his work.

After completing the job, he counts the rows and columns and multiplies them to determine how many items he has stocked. To ensure the math is correct, Kobielsky asks him to check the boxes the items were packaged in, find the printed number of contents in each box, and add them to confirm the numbers correlate.

Afterwards, he breaks down the boxes and puts them in the recycling area. He then makes a written report for Kollias.

Hanson is preparing a presentation about his senior project that he will present to either the school principal or counselor.

A little background from Jacob’s mother, Shayla Doering, about her son’s years in Colton schools:

“For the first few years of his education, my son was sent to three different schools. In the third grade, Colton developed its own special education program for children on the spectrum, and Jacob finally got to attend school with the children from his own community.”

Jacob’s mom spent time volunteering at the grade school and one day, as she was having lunch with her son, she said, “A third-grader asked me if I wasn’t afraid I would get sick by sitting with Jacob. I explained to him what autism was, and the kid got it. The next day, there was no room for me at the table. That kid was sitting with Jacob, and he had brought over all his friends to join them.

“The school showed the students a documentary on what it means to have and live with autism. The students took an interest in Jacob, and he began to take an interest in the students, staff, and faculty,” she added.

Nola Lamke, a retired educational assistant, was with Jacob in a mainstream classroom from fifth through seventh grade. She discovered that taking notes was required, and Jacob performed much better typing than writing.

His mother said they realized that typing made it easier for Jacob to communicate with them, which in turn helped his verbal communication.

“I assisted the other kids in recognizing how much they shared with Jacob, such as their interests in video games, music and his great sense of humor,” Lamke shared. “He was constantly curious and eager to learn, and the students made it a point to involve him in school activities.”

He loves computers and technology, a passion he shares with his stepdad, Drew Doering. He is currently taking a class from CHS science teacher Michael Towle, where he is learning Scratch, a coding language used to create games and animations, which has interested Jacob for years.

He has previously made videos featuring cartoon characters and his own stories. When he was 12 years old, he said he wanted to be a video producer when he grew up.

“I find Jacob brilliant, kind and curious with an amazing memory and sense of humor,” Kobielsky said. “It’s been an honor to support him in his efforts to graduate from CHS.”

So, what is next for Jacob after high school? Doering said they are looking into the Life Skills Program in Estacada. She said they offer a variety of programs and are checking to see if Jacob is interested in them.

One of the best acknowledgments came from a fellow student who said, “Jacob makes our school a better place.”