One of my favorite sayings in the world of Autism is "If you've seen one child with autism, you've seen one child with autism". There are so many thing Autism effects , developmental, neurological,communication and social skills. When my daughter was younger we struggled with her having meltdowns over minor or major changes in daily routine. But ach person who has Autism is so unique. I can only speak for myself on this matter. My daughter Mia at the time of her diagnoses only had some symptoms. When she was 12 months old she had about 5 words. By the time she was 18 months she had no words, she had very poor eye contact and she had stop responding to her own name. I read a article in Parents Magazine about Autism. I remembering thinking to myself this sounds like Mia "What if she has Autism?" "What will I do?" I scheduled an appointment with her pediatrician to voice my concerns only to be dismissed and told I was comparing my child to other children. By age two she still was not talking ,pointing,responding to her name ,toe walking , I knew I had to seek a second option. She was officially diagnosed shortly before her third birthday. However before her diagnoses we immediately began speech therapy ,occupational therapy, listening therapy, and aba. Soon after her third birthday she was accepted into a School that specializes in teaching children with Autism. She remained there for 6 years. Mia is now in a mainstream classroom . She has become quite the artist and she loves singing, dancing,Girl Scouts and theme parks. We had a tough journey,but I wouldn't change a thing. Ultimately, every child has their own success. Some may be more dramatic than others, but every milestone is important. Autism has taught me that ,every little thing is a big deal in our lives. My fantastic little girl is everything that I ever dreamed she would be. She amazes me everyday.

Veronica Gonzalez
Houston, TX