Jarred Bryan Sparks
Jarred's Story
The story of Jarred, our son and teacher started on a beautiful spring day in Blytheville, Arkansas on April 24th, 1992. It was no ordinary day. A baby was born, changing our lives along with thousands of others.
He grew up with his sister Kelsey, who was older by 14 months. Soon after Jarred’s birth, the Air Force sent our family to begin a new chapter and an unforgettable journey in Fayetteville, N.C. The first few years with Jarred were hard. Something was not quite right with his development and the milestones that he should have been reaching at various times. His language was not developing and his ear infections were numerous. Temper tantrums were not once or twice a day, but 10 to 15 times a day. Walking through a door was a major complication. His fits of terror and cries were painful and unbearable. Jarred was hurting.
I fought hard to find out what was wrong and why Jarred was not speaking or talking like our first child Kelsey had. In the midst of finding out that Jarred had a disability called autism, I had our third child, Dylan. I kept searching for the answers and refused to give up on Jarred. I found out about the Lovaas Program, a one-on-one program centered on Dr. Ivar Lovaas’ research in Los Angles, Calif. This intense program requires 40 hours of one-on-one therapy with a child on a weekly basis. Before we heard about the Lovaas Program, I prayed to God on my way to work one morning. I said, “God I know that my child has autism, but please help me find a way to reach him.” And that is exactly what God did.
We reached Jarred and the journey has forever changed our lives. We put the Lovaas Program into practice in our home and started intensive behavior modification when Jarred was 4 years old. I wanted to hear his voice — to hear him say that he loved me. He said, “Mama,” for the first time at age 5. He was 7 when he first told me that he loved me. I never took anything for granted in my life, because I knew that everything Jarred did for me was a gift. Things that you assume everyone knows how to do had to be taught to Jarred — eating a cupcake, bouncing a basketball, snapping his pants. Jarred worked hard to succeed until the day he left us.
Today we honor Jarred’s memory by starting The Jarred Bryan Sparks Foundation to help families and their children who have autism. We want to honor God and our son by helping as many people as we can. Our goal is to teach the world that people who have this disability are to be treated with dignity and respect always. I was honored to be his mother, and I know that I will see him again one day, completely healed. I thank him for changing my life, and for being the greatest teacher I have ever known.
Written by Amy Sparks, Jarred’s mother
Every Step Is A Gift
Moments of Joy
Jarred was the sunshine in our lives. ☀️
Jarred and his dad, Rob
Jarred with his mom, Amy
Jarred at the beach
The Sparks Family
We honor Jarred's memory and his legacy lives on through The Jarred Bryan Sparks Foundation.
Reaching out to families & children with autism.
The mission of The Jarred Bryan Sparks Foundation is to enhance the quality of lives of children with autism by providing parental support, advocacy, education, and to teach others about autism and the effects that it has both on the individual and other family members.