FARMINGTON – A couple who once dreamed of putting down deep roots in Farmington is now moving from campground to campground throughout the western United States to help their “profoundly autistic” child thrive.
Brittney and Preston Clark have been married for 13 years. They moved quite frequently in their first several years of marriage, looking for entrepreneurial opportunities for Preston. Sick and tired of moving, they bought their dream home in Farmington in 2016, and Brittney planned to stay forever.
She dreamed of raising their three children, farm animals, and a garden on their large property near the Davis County Fairgrounds. It was her “sanctuary homeschool house,” Preston Clark said.
But as their second son, now 8 years old, got older, challenges associated with his Level 3 autism spectrum disorder brought thousands of dollars of nightmarish damage to their dream home, and their sanctuary no longer felt safe for them as Hyrum began to wander past the parameters of their yard.
The Clarks attempted to send Hyrum to applied behavior analysis therapy when he was 3 years old. This is the only therapy that would give Brittney respite during the day, since she wouldn’t have to attend with him. But even that proved counterintuitive as it took more than an hour to convince Hyrum to meet with the therapist, and when he’d finally consent to go into the room, he would engage in self-harming practices. The Clarks worked with multiple therapists and tried following all the guidance they could get, but nothing was working.
In addition to his autism, Hyrum has pathological demand avoidance, which is “a pattern of behavior in which kids go to extremes to ignore or avoid anything they perceive as a demand.”
Because of his pathological demand avoidance, Hyrum will not use a toilet but instead will relieve himself outside when it’s nice weather, and anywhere inside the house other than the bathroom when it’s not.
“For me, it just came to an incredible head when I realized … where do I go in this society?” Brittney Clark said, adding that she no longer felt like she belonged, even inside her dream home.
Hyrum loves to explore outside and would spend hours catching grasshoppers, snakes and frogs on their fenced-in, 1-acre property. But as he got older, he began hopping the fence to look for more creatures. Because he will only wear a shirt and nothing else, the Clarks said people thought he was a neglected child wandering around. They ended up having about a dozen police interactions in just a few months.
Desperate to keep Hyrum safe, Brittney had traffic-looking signs that said “Autistic Child” installed outside their house to alert locals that he may be wandering. Unfortunately, it became a popular adolescent prank to steal these signs and do other foul things with them. This was the last straw.
“It was the moment I no longer had any affection for my home,” Brittney Clark said.
On Dec. 1, 2024, Preston and Brittney moved their family, including Hyrum, 11-year-old Eden and 6-year-old Emerson, to a condo in St. George, where the fairer weather might be easier on Hyrum, who thrives outdoors.
Initially, St. George went well, but it was still too populated for Hyrum’s anxiety, and they noticed after about five weeks there, his anxiety became worse. Because of the expense of renting condominiums and Hyrum’s frequent need to change his environment, the Clarks purchased an RV, which they’ve been living and traveling in for the better part of a year.
After some experimenting with different RV parks, the Clarks have learned Hyrum does better with “dispersed camping,” where they are far from crowds.
“Being out of suburbia, being out of where people were watching and judging and reporting … (we) finally could breathe,” Brittney Clark said.
They started camping in southern Utah but have since made their way to Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon.
“We have seen such a huge difference getting him away from people, getting him away from society and away from the stimulus and the noise,” Preston Clark said. “It literally changes him, and he is totally a different kid. He’s still autistic, he still struggles, he’s still hard, but he is tolerable to parent, he’s tolerable for his siblings to be around, he’s actually fun and just a different kid.”
The Clarks are understandably concerned about their other children and are trying to do right by the whole family.
Their son, Emerson, also has special needs, albeit milder than his brother’s. He’s adapted well to their new life and enjoys the adventure. The transition has been tough for their daughter, Eden, however, who has a desire to be among friends.
To help all their children, they try to find remote campgrounds near water for Hyrum to play in and that are close enough to a small town that can serve as their “hub,” so their other children can attend local homeschool and community activities. They stay near the same small town for about a month at a time, which Preston Clark said works for their family. In every area they’ve moved to, Eden has made at least one friend.
“She’s found more fun with her brothers and her family and playing with them… and that’s been an amazing blessing,” Preston Clark said.
Brittney Clark added that they also try to take Eden to volunteer at something like a local food bank or thrift store, wherever they are, so she can feel a sense of community. She said doing volunteer work helps them feel like they belong somewhere.
Multiple people have told the Clarks that one day, they’ll eventually have to send Hyrum away and give custody to the state. But the Clarks are doing everything in their power to stay a family.
“God sent us this child, and I don’t think it was ever his intention for us to give him up,” Preston Clark said.
To learn more about the Clarks’ nomadic journey, read their blog, “May There Be A Road.”
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