For his final speech competition, Ty Espeseth championed the idea that people of all abilities can excel in whatever they choose to pursue. He exemplifies that message every day.

The Glacier High School senior is graduating with a 3.9 grade-point average, all-state choir honors and the confidence that comes from earning those accolades while navigating life with autism.

“I’ve said this throughout and it’s a good way for me to think about it, to help me with what I have, is to consider a disability to be more of a different ability,” Espeseth said. “Because people who have these different abilities can also accomplish a lot of things as well, just like people without.”

That attitude has served him well since he was first diagnosed with autism at age 2.

When he was a toddler, Espeseth’s parents noticed a distinction in the way he communicated compared to other children around his age. From the time he was 2 to around 5 years old, Espeseth exclusively used sign language to interact with others.

But over the years, with hard work and support from his family and community, Espeseth’s communication style evolved.

BY THE time he started high school, Espeseth was involved in activities that might have seemed out of reach earlier in his life.

It all started when his older sister, Millie, encouraged Espeseth to follow in her footsteps by trying theater.

When Millie first proposed the idea, Espeseth remembers feeling a bit hesitant. But in fourth grade, “I ended up giving it a shot,” he said.

Participating in theater helped Espeseth gain social skills, interact with his peers and, most importantly, have fun.

“That was kind of where I started to be able to find some people I enjoyed being around on my own,” he recalled.

As his confidence grew, Espeseth’s theater career blossomed. He worked his way into multiple leading roles, like the Tin Man in a production of “The Wizard of Oz” through Whitefish’s Alpine Theater Project.

He credited Betsi Morrison and Luke Walrath at ATP with helping build the foundation he would eventually use to branch out into other pursuits.

Those included choir, which Espeseth joined in eighth grade, and the GHS Speech and Debate team. Both activities became cornerstones of Espeseth’s high school experience.

He’ll graduate with a distinction in fine arts for his participation in choir, and, as proof of his well-rounded accomplishments, a distinction in science as well.

Next, Espeseth is thinking about studying at Flathead Valley Community College, in the hopes he might eventually pursue a career as a meteorologist.

To get to this point, Espeseth has had to work diligently in speech therapy and take leap after bold leap. It’s also been a team effort, and he’s grateful to the many supporters along the way who have played a part in his journey.

From Day One, there was his family — his parents, his grandparents, his sister Millie and his identical twin brother, Griffin.

During his early childhood, Terri Smith at Step-by-Step childcare center laid the groundwork for others to believe in Espeseth’s abilities.

In school, Espeseth benefitted from working with numerous teachers and paraprofessionals. Outside the classroom, his theater directors and the crew at DREAM Adaptive Recreation all contributed to Espeseth’s progression.

“We’re really lucky to live where we live. I think the people in our community have been amazing,” said Espeseth’s mother, Janet, a math teacher at GHS. She said she feels “very, very blessed to be in this school district and a community that has been very supportive and helpful.”

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at 406-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com