Shaun is a 6-year-old first-grader with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). His world is playtime, cartoons, dancing and a dose of Vyvanse mixed in his chocolate pudding every morning. His 9-year-old sister, McKenna, is his guide and accomplice.

From extracurricular activities to what to pack for lunch, Shaun is given the independence to choose how to live his life in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Inspired by McKenna, who has taken ballet lessons since she was three, Shaun recently started taking lessons himself. “Did you have fun?” his mother Samantha asks him after his lesson. “You don’t have to keep doing it if it stops being fun.” They juggle a complicated work schedule: David works nights and Samantha works days, but they make sure Shaun doesn’t miss out on any experience. They guide him through life as he begins to understand his place in the world.

Photographed in Excelsior Springs, MO.