Mustang Acres works in close partnership with Mustang Court Commons (MCC), which is an intentional home for adults with autism, many of whom are nonspeaking/unreliable speakers and use spelling to communicate. The first two residents, Heiko and Linus, moved in this May, and we at Mustang Acres are celebrating this milestone achievement with them!

 

In this issue, we are spotlighting Heiko Fiedler, a remarkable 

24-year-old young man who is a jigsaw puzzle pro. Heiko has been enjoying all his favorite activities since moving in at MCC. He loves being part of a social scene, and is always eager to interact with his housemate, Linus, and with the support staff. 

 

Heiko is an unreliable speaker, who communicates with verbal approximations of words, or spells out letters verbally in order for the listener to form the words together. He is proficient with using a keyboard to communicate and surfs the internet independently. Heiko enjoys talking about what is going to happen next, like who he will be seeing next,

as staff cycle through their shifts. Since moving in, he has been doing a lot of jigsaw puzzles, and loves to go to the library or dime store to pick out more puzzles. With staff support, he is getting his exercise by feeding the sheep, and taking daily walks near the house or at parks in the area. 

Heiko is a birder, and enjoys seeing the geese that visit the pond at the house, and the larger variety of water birds at Shollenberger Park nearby. Staff have also taken him to the beach, where he got to wade in the surf and see lots of seagulls.

Heiko also really enjoys listening to music, and is familiar with many songs and pieces from different genres of music.

When he wants to chill, he will listen to music in his room, finding a station on the radio or choosing one on Pandora. Will he choose bluegrass, classical, funk, or something else? He keeps everyone guessing.

 

Heiko hopes to start attending an adult day program soon. He enjoyed visiting the Inclusion Concepts day program recently, and is looking forward to attending there as soon as the paperwork is completed. 

How do we get things done on the farm? It's because of all the volunteers who have helped over the years. We are grateful for all who have come to plant trees, pull out weeds, sheet mulch, and feed the animals. One of our cherished and fabulous volunteers is Tommy Mooney, who has been coming to the farm this summer with his day program provider, Lonnie Bresciani, several times a week to do chores on the farm.

Tommy is a 28-year-old young man who lives in Petaluma. He enjoys listening to music with his iPad and headset, and dancing when the song is right. He loves being anywhere outdoors, eating pizza and ice cream.

 

Tommy is also a speller. His parents learned about Spelling to Communicate (S2C) from other parents at Mustang Acres and are so grateful to have a new insight into Tommy and who he is. They have always known that he was all heart, and his ability to now communicate through spelling has confirmed it. He loves it at Mustang Acres and has said so through spelling. We at Mustang Acres likewise love having Tommy and Lonnie on the farm.

Noah McSweeney, a member of the farm, speller and inspiration to many, has published his first book, NoahRising !

It is a collection of poems capturing his life journey, which is surely a hero’s journey. About ten years ago, at age 14, Noah met two teachers who showed him how a nonspeaking or unreliably speaking autistic could share their thoughts by spelling them on a letterboard. This changed Noah’s life. His mother, Mary Ellen Wells, learned the letterboarding method painstakingly, and wrote down Noah’s thoughts as he spelled them. Many in the autism community have crossed paths with Noah along the way, and witnessed both his struggles and triumphs.

Now 24, Noah's hero's journey becomes a writer's journey, a ship leaving port with a cargo of precious poems to share with friends around the world. His father, Brian McSweeney, had the wondrous task of organizing and formatting NoahRising.

 

Please read his book and spread the word with friends so Noah’s beautiful work of art can give hope, enlighten and inspire anyone who wants to appreciate and understand more about autism and nonspeaking autistics.

Support our farm by purchasing our farm yarn! Our Mustang Acres Finn sheep yarn was transformed into a beautiful knitted calliope sweater by the talented Erika Carter. It showcases the versatility of the yarn, which could be perfect for your next crafting project.

 

Our farm yarn is lusciously soft and made from the fiber of our happy sheep. We implement regenerative agriculture practices and follow Fibershed 's guidelines to produce climate beneficial yarn that is 100% non-GMO wool.

 

Purchase our farm yarn in store or online at Avenue Yarns in Albany, CA. Proceeds from the sale go towards our farm!

We are still dreaming, planning and fundraising to build a community center barn at the farm. The barn will provide a gathering space to host educational and social-recreational programs, and spelling lessons for those who communicate best through spelling. Our community of spellers is growing fast, where many who used to struggle to communicate now have found a way to connect with others through spelling. We envision the barn to be a place where people from across the neurodiverse spectrum could come and gather, and form lifelong friendships. Please help us reach our goal of building a barn. No gift is too small and any amount helps!