My beautiful daughter Erin was born in the summer of 2001. She was my first child and I was so scared to be a mommy!! She was a great baby though and always made me happy. She was actually advanced in speech and motor skills and also a lively toddler!! She did have a kinesthetic need. She had to touch something cold and hard (usually glass or metal) in order to fall asleep. She would not sleep unless she could rub her fingers along something like a spoon or glass bottle. I noticed it was difficult to take her in public also. She wanted to run around and touch everything and everyone, lol! Her first "melt down" happened when she was two so I figured it was the terrible twos. She cried every time I left her at daycare (I was in the army) and it broke my heart. The providers told me she was a very difficult child and would bite and hit the other kids. I didn't know what to do. In kindergarten, Erin was diagnosed with ADHD (first of a few). Bipolar and ODD was also diagnosed but no meds ever worked. Erin was always so aggressive. She would get frustrated at the smallest thing and lash out. She would take her own shoes off and throw them at people, hit, kick, bite, spit! She knew no limits. Last year was the hardest because law enforcement started getting involved. I finally made the tough decision to send her to Montana for residential therapy. It took the staff less than one day to call me and say that she is 100% on the Autism spectrum. Today, she has two therapist at her school 5 days a week and she hasn't hit anyone in over a year!! She is on probation from the issues last year but she has come so far!!! She is smart, funny, and completely lovable! I will never give up on her and I refuse to let her fail!!! She will be a successful adult no matter what. Autism makes her unique, not disabled!!!

Cindy McKay
Sierra Vista, AZ