"You have such a gentle soul..." Those were the first words ever spoken to baby Riddock James. RJ, was born nearly on his due date at a small 5lbs 7oz. He has ice blue eyes and light blonde hair, unlike any relative. He grew normally and exceeded physical milestones.
At three months, Riddock seemed to observe the world differently than his peers. At eight months old, he began obsessing over cylindrical objects and sorting everything around him. At eighteen months old, he was struck with his first seizure, during which he stopped breathing.
Almost a week in intensive care resulted in nothing but more mystery. Riddock has since received an autism diagnosis, but also developed a unique movement disorder. After countless normal or unexplainable test results, Riddock remains an un-diagnosed for over a year. The gray clouds of disabilities do not bother this little hero, who remains a loving, inspirational, and bright a ray of sunshine.
Despite being non-verbal, at 2&1/2 Riddock can easily identify the numbers 1-10, A-Z, shapes, and spells full words on his Ipad. He speaks fluently using Picture Exchange Communication. He amazes his therapists and myself every day.
Riddock is currently in diagnostic processing for Mitochondrial/Neurological-Metabolic Diseases.
Newport, NH
