My daughter Briley was born in August of 2007. I had somewhat of a difficult pregnancy as I couldn't gain weight very well and she ended up being a tiny 4lb 15oz package despite being born at 38 weeks. As my little peanut began to develop I noticed some delays but thought it was just due to her being an IUGR baby and having such a low birthweight. When she was a little over a year old I talked with our Dr. about my concerns. Long story short, after many specialists, blood tests, xrays, tubes, and a 2 1/2 year wait we finally got the diagnosis. My perfect little girl was autistic. My world crumbled and I found myself reading the poem "Welcome To Holland" a lot. It's been almost 2 years since our diagnosis day and though I feel like I'm more on top of her triggers and stims, I still feel like there is so much I do not know. Looking back everything makes sense. Her sensitivity to light, sound, smells, all of it.She is such a smart little girl and has such a huge personality but she lacks in her expressive language majorly. She also has issues with her fine motor control. She has the best memory of any child I've ever met. She can look at a picture taken 2 years ago and remember what she was doing in each picture or what she was watching on tv when it was taken. I pray for Briley every night. She just started kindergarten this year at a mainstream school (she's in the special needs class) and so far it has been pretty good. She's picked up a few habits from other kids at school that I'm not crazy about but at least I know she's watching her peers and mirroring what they do. I can't wait to see the person she grows into. She has a beautiful mind and I hope one day she is able to do something she loves. She is the kindest soul I know. She is my hero.

Anonymous
Fremont, OH