♪♪ ♪♪ [Tyler Leech] Follow me, troops.

♪♪ [Tyler Leech] The Barefoot Autism Challenge was something that I thought of back in 2017.

The challenge lets people understand a sensory aspect of autism by walking barefoot during the month of April and share what advocating for someone who is autistic means to them.

♪♪ [Tyler Leech] Just this last April, I coordinated an event with the Des Moines Arts Center to give a tour of the museum completely barefoot and encouraging other guests to do the same.

♪♪ [Tyler Leech] Most of the time people view autism as just a communications issue but there's a lot more to it than that.

I thank you for putting your best barefoot forward for autism.

Thank you.

(applause) [Tyler Leech] As someone who is autistic, what I want people to understand about me is that I am a fun guy to be around and I can be a good friend and if you take the time to get to know me it can be a pretty neat thing.

One, two, three -- Barefoot!

♪♪ [Tyler Leech] I was diagnosed when I was 22 months old.

It was a moment where I was talking normally but then lost my language and didn't get it back until another couple of years.

I didn't fully grasp what autism was until I was around 11 years old.

And I didn't think I was any different from any other kid at the time.

♪♪ [Tyler Leech] I have done some advocacy work and I shared a story of how I was pulled over by officers and detained until my state legislator and he helped pass a bill that allowed autism designation on driver's licenses.

♪♪ [Sheri Leech] Tyler has really overcome a lot.

He is actually doing some training with the police academy for autism awareness and he has also done things for Wells Fargo where he has flown out on business trips and educated people on autism.

He is really wanting to make a difference and he truly is making a difference.

♪♪ [Tyler Leech] I have been attending Lutheran Church of Hope since about 2007, maybe 2008.

♪♪ [Tyler Leech] I feel like what I gain from Hope is a sense of being a part of a community and I learn a lot about myself as a Christian and some things that I could do to change different aspects of my life.

[Jamie Richards] Tyler is always able to find the silver lining or to find a way to turn something that is difficult into an opportunity for hope.

I think that Tyler is one of the most positive people that I know, one of the most resilient and hopeful people that I know.

♪♪ [Tyler Leech] Revive is the young adult ministry at Lutheran Church of Hope.

I shared my bocce skills with my Revive friends.

For the Special Olympics State Summer Games in Ames, Iowa I got the gold medal in bocce.

[Tyler Leech] I have had the great honor of being named male athlete of the year.

♪♪ [Tyler Leech] I started out with Special Olympics in 2001.

I was curious about bowling, soccer, basketball and golf.

This past September I participated in Special Olympics unified golf with my dad.

♪♪ [Tyler Leech] With the practice I've done with bowling, I'm getting ready for the district tournament.

For the districts, if I get the blue ribbon, which would be first place, then I'll be eligible to go to the state tournament.

Yeah!

Strike!

[Tyler Leech] Living with autism isn't necessarily a bad thing.

It's how you choose to live with it that determines who you are.

And it also depends on the help you get from different people and the kind of people that are in your circle.

Yes!

♪♪ [Tyler Leech] I've met some more new friends along the way, one of which is looking into helping me get into the dating world.

Times two makes 34.

[Sherri Leech] Now that Tyler is older, he wants to use his voice and make sure that everyone knows that people with autism and special needs need to be included and need to be embraced and loved and supported.

Oh, it looks good.

Look at that, that's perfect!

[Tyler Leech] I just want to continue doing what I am doing right now and I am just looking forward to seeing what life has in store for me.