Stories of Hope

Apollo our wonder boy!

My ex husband and I were so excited to know we were pregnant with Apollo. At 37 weeks I came down with what I thought was a terrible flu. I was rushed to the hospital and hooked up to IV. Little did I know my water had broken and I had a slow leak. 8 hours later Apollo was born.
Apollo was a beautiful baby boy. He was the fifth of my 6 kids; Third boy. As Apollo grew we started to notice he was very cranky most of the time. He was lactose intolerant and didn't take my breast milk. At age one we started to notice he wasn't babbling. He was also a late walker, sitter, and crawler.
At 15 months Apollo wasn't even saying mama or dada. I knew there was something that wasn't right so I took him to a neurologist and he found nothing. He said it was all in my head and to give it time. I took him to a psychiatrist and he diagnosed him with autism. Apollo wouldn't look you in the eye. He wouldn't engage in play with anyone but by himself. At 18 months he developed an obsession with ceiling fans and would just stare for minutes that seemed like hours. Early intervention was involved and he received OT, PT, and speech therapy.
Apollo is now 3. He is in school now and receives speech therapy at school an at a private location. His school teacher does not do well with his tantrums so now I must get behavior therapy as well. Although he is saying a lot more than we thought he would at this age he is still learning. And we learn from him as well. He is my wonder boy and we love every piece of him. He is very hyper and very active but still struggles with other children and his severe tantrums. He loves fans, cars and airplanes but most of all he loves buses!

Maria Treadwell
Brandon, FL

Kam's story

My name is Nikki I'm the mother of a beautiful little boy named kam who's 5 yrs old.
At age 2 the meltdowns started however we thought its just the terrible 2's year by year it got worse, by age to he was getting out of control and didn't know what to do however in my heart I knew something wasn't quite right
Kam was evaluated at his ped office where they agreed he needed to be sent for further testing so from there we met our child psycologist dr.smith more testing was done and we were then called in for the results a day I so longed for to get the answers we so needed however wasn't the diagnosis I expected...kam was diagnosised with an autism spectrum disorder called Asperger's syndrome
My son is smart,lovable,curious,bright and the love of our lives I would not trade him for nothing,god makes no mistakes and doesn't give us something we can't handle even when we think we can't take anymore
As a mom I knew something was wrong and as kam's mom I know him best follow ur heart and trust it.....I did and I'm glad now my son can get the help he needs and deserves

Anonymous
Dallas, GA

Living in the spectrum

My story begins when i had a beautiful little boy, collin xavier huntington, on 7/19/07. He was our 4th child and our family was complete. As the years went on, i knew there was something different about collin. By the time he went to the doctor for his 18 month checkup, the doctor recommended he go see a specialist because he wasnt up to par with other kids, and still non verbal. It only took the doctor a few minutes to tell me what i dreaded to hear. He was autistic. That was the day that changed my life forever. I googled and read books about autism to try to understand what autism even meant. We started seeing different therapist, and doctors and trying all new medications. Collin started putting everything in his mouth and i was so concerned that he was going to eat something poisonous and really harm himself. He loved to eat his diapers, feces, dry wall, ect. Thats when he was diagnosed with pica. They put Collin on all sorts of meds so he was able to participate in school somewhat and they added and changed his meds for 3 yrs that he ended up taking adult size meds and it was literally driving him insane. His sensory issues are so severe that these meds were having a huge effect on his sensory issues. He became so violent and was constantly hitting, biting, screaming, kicking and wasnt my sweet loving boy anymore. The doctors were so confused on what to do, that after 6 months of this, i decided to take matters into my own hands. A mother has her instincts and mine was to take him off of all these meds and just let him be himself, and wow what a good decision that was. My beautiful boy, now 6 yrs old, is still non verbal but now going all day to school. He is my sweet, loving, happy boy again. Doctors are just as confused as we are, but ive learned meds arent always the answer. Patience and understand are.

shelley huntington
eaton, IN

Our Story

What about your older child? That was what I heard from my Babies Can't Wait (BCW) service coordinator regarding my then 5 year old son. Our younger son was diagnosed by a developmental pediatrician at age 2 as having moderate/severe autism. What about my older son? Our younger son had very obvious issues with autism, but I had taken our older son to the pediatrician and a psychologist about his hyperactivity, lining things up, "sorting things", rocking, etc. I was told by these professionals that it was "all in my head." My child just had ADHD. Back to the developmental specialist in Atlanta we went. My older child was diagnosed with mild/moderate autism. It was a tough time.

So, there I was in a small city in NW Ga wondering how I was going to "figure out" what to do. I had a M.Ed. in special education, 2 small boys, and this was NOT in my scope of practice. I was teaching part-time, and my assistant principal stated, "We have an autism specialist conducting a workshop for the next few months. It is paid for. You might as well go." Between Amazon.com, the autism specialist's classes, and BCW, I muddled through those first years. I was a MOTHER BEAR. I investigated everything. I insisted I view the classroom my soon to be 3 year old would enter, I spoke to the county special needs preschool director on everything from best practices in teaching to how my "baby" was going to ride a bus. We worked with SLPs, OTs, & PTs I learned about Katie Beckett Medicaid, & I kept networking to make things happen.

11 years later, I'm the mother of 2 fabulous boys. My 10th grader is in regular education, marching band where he's the 2nd best clarinet player - and he is making As & Bs. My younger son is an 8th grader in a self-contained classroom. He is a HAPPY young man! He loves school, loves running the school store, counts money like a banker, and is answering me in full sentences. Life is good.

Wendy Pearce
Dacula, GA

Ians Story

My sweet little man Ian just turned 3 in Sept. We found out yesterday that he had autism, He was fast on all of his milestones until he turned 2. He had literally just stopped learning he was picking up on words like a champ but could not put them in sentences and it was so frustrating for him not to be able to communicate with me. I didn't think it was a big deal I figured he just learned at a slower pace than most kids. The doctor told us at 2 that he was showing all the signs of it and I completely ignored him and all the help they offered, I didn't want to believe that my child would ever go through this. I was hesitant to tell people figuring they would judge or be mean to him or treat him differently but I have been reading everyone's stories and you all have helped me so much through this process because I was scared not knowing what to do. We do go through the HORRIBLE tantrums, He rocks constantly, He has one favorite toy and that's his woody doll and he can not literally go anywhere without him, He lines things up and will throw horrific fits if anything is slightly moved. He is so brilliant though he can work puzzles that are for 5 year olds. We are now starting the process for his speech & we will just take it day by day.

Whitney
Bluff City, TN

A Mom's glimpse inside the world of her amazing son with autism.

Mark Anthony was not born with autism. He was developmentally on track until 9 months old. He received a series of immunization shots, and I noticed that something was seriously different. No longer speaking and gazing a lot, I asked the pediatrician what was wrong. From there came diagnosis, early intervention, speech, OT, and PT. 7 years later, as my son Mark Anthony gets bigger, I know that everything is the way it should be. I am lucky enough to have this wonderful boy in my life. I have learned so much from him, patience, and a way to see the world through his eyes. Everyone is good, and everything is beautiful. Colors are bright, music has a different rhythm, different is not always bad, and being content with oneself is ok. Mark Anthony is brilliant, kind, will never lie, judge, or hurt others. What a wonderful place to be, and as his mother.....I am blessed to be part of his life forever...and get a glimpse into his world of pure beauty and peace.

Crystal Marie
Depew, NY

therapist

I am an ABA therapist for the past 2 1/2 years. I have loved every minute of it! I also have a brother with autism. my brother and the little girl I work with have taught me so much over the years. They give me love when I really need it. the 1st time I heard the little girl say " I love you" made me smile the rest of the day. I am who I am today because of my brother and "my" baby girl. Autism can teach us so many things : how to love, be patience, and to have hope!

Anonymous
columbia, SC

Christian the Lion

Christian is a spirited, active, feisty, beautiful little boy who stole my heart the moment I met him. At the current age of 2, he loves to look at books and study pictures and words, ride in his wagon, sing and "dance" to his favorite music, splash in the water and shoot hoops at bathtime, crinkle paper and plastic bags, and push buttons on light-up musical toys. He is curious, examining and watching the world around him with fascination.

The road has been challenging. From early on, Christian had issues that no one could seem to explain: health - premature, acid reflux, thrush, whooping cough, underweight, unique chromosomal microdeletion, GF-DF-SF diet; sensory - extreme texture sensitivities, diapering difficulties, staring at his hands, hand stimming, shaking; communication - little eye contact, nonverbal, lack of pointing to indicate needs or wants; developmental: late crawler, walker, poor fine motor control and planning. He's been through every test (MRI, EEG, full genetic study, developmental assessments) and many therapies (feeding, occupational, speech). It has been hard on him and on our family. We didn't know what was wrong and were afraid of the possibilities. Everyone had, and still has, an opinion to share or an idea to try. Let me tell you, Google was not my friend.

My husband and I finally agreed to have Christian formally assessed for autism through our district's ECSE, knowing deep down in our hearts that it was what we were truly up against. He started in the 2-year-old autism program three mornings a week. He's making great gains and we are so proud of him. Meeting the tiniest milestone is overcoming mountains in our home.

My husband and I have faced every emotion on this rollercoaster ride that is the path of autism: fear, anger, guilt, frustration, sadness, jealousy... pure joy, pride, triumph, humor, compassion. But above all, we are so thankful for this little human being for teaching us what life is all about and for showing us how deeply we can love.

"and she loved a little boy, very very much, even more than she loved herself"

Amanda
Saint Paul, MN

My Leo

Leo was born at 35 weeks, weighing 4 pounds 9 ounces. Although he was tiny, he had no medical issues associated with his premature birth. In fact, everyone marveled at how alert he was for a newborn. Wide-eyed and already so curious about the world around him.
Leo was a happy and content baby-as long as he was being held. And while he met most of his milestones a little bit late, I wasn't concerned. He was born 5 weeks early after all, and I held him constantly, never pushing the issue of things like "tummy time" that seemed to upset him so.
At about 18 months, some of the language he had developed up to that point had disappeared. Autism was dismissed early on by Leo's Pediatrician due to his happy and affectionate nature. Instead she urged me to have his hearing tested and ears looked at by a specialist since he was prone to ear infections. Once a hearing deficit was ruled out Leo was referred to a speech pathologist for evaluation.
By that point I noticed Leo exhibiting certain atypical behaviors - such as his lack of imaginative play - preferring to line up his toys and create patterns with them, or his fixation with trashcans and anything with a lid. By age 3 these signs became more apparent to me, and even before his diagnosis on October 31, 2013, I knew my son had Autism.
He goes to Speech and Occupational Therapy 3 times a week and I am in the process of getting him enrolled in special education preschool. I see improvements each day and I am so proud of him and the progress he has made.
Leo touches so many lives with his sweet disposition and beautiful smile. He is such a happy little boy, and with my Leo, every day is a wonderful adventure. We will go through this journey together, him and I.
He is my blessing...my angel...and I am so honored to be his Mom.

Ellie Fadden
Stafford, VA

My Story

My name is Natalie and I am 18 years old. I have a communication disorder and was diagnosed as being on the very mild end of the Autistic Spectrum at age 6. I had a bit of delayed speech as well as fine motor skills...as well as Tourette's Syndrome and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) which I was diagnosed with at age 9. I'm a very smart girl and I am a senior in high school with good grades. I live in North Carolina with my parents and I have an older sister named Zoe who is a junior at East Carolina University. I have an IEP at school and a lot of adults to help me out with my school work.

I enjoy hanging out with friends and seeing movies. I go to a young adult dinner club for people with high functioning ASD's as well as a girls book club with the same kind of people. I hope you like my story

Natalie de la Varre
Chapel Hill, NC