My only daughter was the proud mom of twin boys. I couldn't have been happier. From their first day I spent every day helping her care for them. They were healthy & beautiful at birth, and continued to flourish, meeting the expectations of infants. Aidan was the serious one, with a sweet nature. A cuddly boy. Brennan, the smiley one, was a firecracker. Happy, wiggly, a bit quicker than his brother to meet each milestone. Both boys were a Gramma's dream. As the months went by, we grew more & more in love with each of their individual personalities. Then, when the boys were 9 months old, I was holding Brennan (our firecracker) in front of me, nuzzling & kissing his face. I reslized that he wouldn't make eye contact with me and turned his face when I went in for a kiss. Honestly...that was the moment Autism changed my life. There were many more moments like that before we even admitted to each other that we saw something wrong, and heard the words "diagnosis Autism". But that was the defining moment. The boys are still the loves of my life, & I continue to help care for them most days., but that day stands out as a defining moment in all of our lives.

Cheryl Mcclements
Holly Springs, GA