Jeremy’s Story

Jeremy was diagnosed with SMS at the age of 19 months. After many months of testing and seeing a multitude of doctors and specialists, it was a relief, but also devastating, to hear the diagnosis.

When we researched SMS, we found that Jeremy bears nearly all the characteristics of SMS. Some of the most severe include his self-injurious behaviors (head banging and hand biting), chronic sleep disturbances, and maladaptive behaviors, including: impulsivity, distractibility, sudden mood shifts, explosive outbursts, prolonged tantrums, and aggressive and destructive behavior.

Daily life with Jeremy is very unpredictable. We are constantly evaluating his emotions, which can change rapidly without warning. Sometimes we’re able to avoid triggers that result in aggressive outbursts, but the sudden behavior changes are often erratic and arbitrary. His amazing older sister, Ella, is now an expert at distracting and redirecting his attention in order to prevent his meltdowns from escalating.

Thankfully, Jeremy is also incredibly sweet and loving and has an amazing sense of humor! He makes us laugh every day with his silly jokes, and he melts our hearts with his sparkley eyes and his many “I love you’s”. He’s doing so well in school this year, and he even likes to do homework – just like his big sister. He loves Harley Davidson motorcycles, blimps, playing Monopoly, and playing computer/wii games.