CINCINNATI (WKRC) — Jakob Jordan, the son of Q102 morning co-host Jenn Jordan, has made remarkable strides in communication over the past two years, thanks to innovative therapies and technologies.
Once unable to express himself due to autism and apraxia, the 22-year-old Jakob Jordan now uses an iPad to communicate, a breakthrough that has transformed his life.
“Vegetables and steak for the win,” Jakob Jordan said.
He was using his device to share his favorite foods during a recent trip to Las Vegas to see his favorite band, New Kids on the Block. Two years ago, such communication would have been impossible for Jakob Jordan, who struggled with a disconnect between his body and brain.
However, after discovering that he could spell and read, his mother collaborated with speech therapist Julie Sando to unlock his potential. The first word Jakob Jordan typed was “analogy,” and he understood its meaning.
Jakob Jordan has expanded his diet from 20 foods to over 600 and has even gone on two dates. Local 12 provided questions ahead of time, and Jakob Jordan typed out his answers and played them back during a virtual interview on Thursday.
He expressed the profound impact communication has had on his life.
“Communication is absolutely the most meaningful privilege that turned my upside-down world right-side up,” Jakob Jordan said. “My world has opened up so wide that my biggest challenge is creating more outlandish dreams because so many dreams are coming true now.”
Jenn Jordan, one half of the popular morning show on Q 102, noted that specialists had long doubted Jakob Jordan’s ability to communicate in this way. While text-to-speech technology has been crucial, she credits the real magic to Jakob Jordan’s work with his therapist.
“So, once we realized that the words were all stuck, he had all of the thoughts and the ideas; he is competent, he is capable, and he is brilliant. He just couldn’t get the words out because of the apraxia,” said Jenn Jordan.
The Jordans are sharing their story to inspire other families facing similar challenges. Jakob Jordan encourages others to seek understanding and support.
“I urge everyone to ask questions if you relate to any part of our story. Please don’t assume I am special or different. I recommend that you start learning so that you can help those in your life,” Jakob Jordan said.
Jakob Jordan also helps support himself by making his own line of greeting cards, and plans to act in a movie next year. You can follow him and Jenn Jordan’s journey on their Facebook page.
His mom said that they are now starting to plan for when Jakob Jordan can eventually move out and live on his own.