Max was voted for the third time.

Max was voted for the third time again to be in the Mr. Wonderful pageant at school. After the school realized that he was a super senior they have decided instead to have him be a judge for the pageant.

Here is the letter about him being voted in being the pageant.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your peers thought that you were so amazing that they knew to nominate you for Mr. Wonderful! If you're interested in winning a big cash prize for simply being yourself, then prove your friends right and fill out the packet attached to this email. Once you've printed and completed the form, stop by room 7000 and drop it off in the designated "Mr. Wonderful" box. We are so excited to see what you bring to the stage and we wish you the best of luck! Look forward to next weeks episode to find out who's going to be The Bachelor in Paradise!

He is so excited to be a guest judge at the pageant. 

Max tasted a cucumber!!!

Since Max was a little boy he has never wanted to eat anything that is green. 

When he was in forth grade he received from his teacher a coupon 

to get a free hamburger at In and Out Burger. 

When he saw the pickles on the hamburger he refused 

to eat it even after I took the pickles off of it. 

All because a green food touched his hamburger. 

On January 16, 2019 that all changed. He tried a small piece of cucumber and celery. 

I hope he can learn to enjoy salads someday like I do. 

I have been encouraging him to eat lettuce, cucumbers, celery and other green foods. 

Max had an adventure

Over the weekend we went out for lunch at a new restaurant called 

Not My Typical Deli

Max ordered a Spaghetti sandwich. 

From the video above you can tell he loved the sandwich. 

A bag of chips and pickle also came with the sandwich.

 He would not eat the pickle, because he doesn't like to eat anything green.

 He has been that way since he was a little boy. 

Max is going to put in a application to work there. 

Here is a Gilbert newspaper article that was written on this restaurant. 

NYT Deli isn’t your typical eatery

By Srianthi Perera

NYT (Not Your Typical) Deli takes its name from its staff.

About 70 percent of its young adult employees are autistic or have development disabilities.

“Kids with autism have a hard time getting a job because there’s that sigma that they can’t function. And they can,” said Pam DePalma, co-owner and manager. “It’s just once they’ve learned the job, they’ve got it. And they’re probably some of the best employees you would have.

“There’s no drama, they want to be here, they show up on time, for the most part, they’re happy and eager to please, and it’s really a great staff,” she added.

The delicatessen features a good selection of hot and cold chef-designed sandwiches, hot dogs, chop salads and bakery desserts. It’s located in Gilbert Town Square, in the vicinity of the Regal Gilbert Stadium.

The new location has been a blessing, too. It was earlier housed in smaller premises at Val Vista Drive and Baseline Road and moved here in December.

“It’s so much better over here,” DePalma said.

The larger site, which can seat 60 patrons inside and up to 40 outside, has space for One More Bite Bakery and Bergies Coffee Roast House. Plans are being made to add dinner hours during Fridays and the weekend to attract theater patrons.  

NYT Deli is owned by Chef W and his wife, Chef Vanessa Luna, as well as Pam and Chuck DePalma, who take care of the business side.

“We were troubled by the fact that there aren’t very many transition programs for kids when they get out of high school if they’re not going to college,” said Pam, whose son, Daniel, is autistic.

Daniel brings food out, buses tables and does dishes in the kitchen.

Although the transition was “a little difficult” for him and for the staff, they adapted in time, Pam said. “It’s just different way of thinking and processing and we train differently,” she said. Sometimes, it may take saying something differently so that they understand it or it just might be repetition.”

The deli is planning to hire more autistic workers in the future. It’s also working with Square One, a non-profit, which is focused on empowering capable adults with disabilities with unique opportunities.

Currently, the unemployment rate for adults with autism in Arizona is nearly 90 percent.

 NYT Deli is located at 1166 S. Gilbert Road, Suite 101, Gilbert. Open hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

State Special Olympics swim meet 10/12/2018

Max swimming the 100 yards freestyle. 

Max swimming the 50 yard butterfly

Max was asked to be on the channel 12 news live. 

Thank you Crystal (Max's cousin) for saving it on your DVR. 

Communication over the years

These pics cards were so helpful for communicating with Max.

We used them daily until he was able to verbalize. 

I look back and see how he has grown with communicating. 

He can now express his thoughts. Oh what a blessing that is. 

What a joy it is that I don't have to figure out what he needs,

 feels sad about, or if he has a earache, headache or stomach ache. 

Oh those days were rough. 

So often, I could not for the life of me understand why he was upset. 

Now he can give me some indication of what he needs or wants. 

I still have to give him daily reminders like, 

brush your teeth, make your bed and make sure he has his house key.

When he turned sixteen we felt it was time for him to have his own house key and he treasures it. 

For Special Olympics USA Games

 Max had to wear a fit-bit and achieve a million steps 

from February to July.

He was able to understand how the watchband worked. 

He sure has come a long ways from using pics cards to reading a watchband. 

 He was successful with the million steps and

 also successful in understanding the reason for wearing the fit-bit 

which he did not enjoy wearing. 

Special Olympics Area meet 9/18/2018

Max swimming 50 Butterfly 9/15/2018

Max and Pennie

On August 6, 2018 our dog Pennie went to heaven. This morning Max was talking about Pennie and how long she had been gone. Pennie was 16 years old when she passed. We first got her when she was five years old. She was a fun loving dog that always made us smile.
Here is Max and Pennie after she went to the groomers. This photo is about five years old.

Pennie wanting a chip from Max.