missed the signs....

I have 3 sons with autism.  When my second oldest was born, I had heard of autism.  Some vague recollection of the movie Rain Man, that it affected mostly boys, and there was a rise in cases.  I certainly never thought it would affect my child.

He was delayed in his baby milestones, but he was a few weeks early and tiny, so I didn't freak out. Then he started doing weird things that babies shouldn't do.  Then his speech developed weird and I became concerned. Autism started to become less vague.  I would mention it to my doctor and it would be "just a phase, he'll grow out of it".  Only he didn't.

When he wandered away on the day we moved and was lost for a couple of hours because he wouldn't respond to his name, at 3 years old, I wouldn't take "it's just a phase" anymore.  Autism became very real.

Our journey began and it has never ended.  It never does when dealing with disability.

Buggie's story will be another day...The point of this is to contrast T-Rex with Smoochie.

Sweet Smoochie was a beautiful baby.  He slept, he ate.  He hit all the baby milestones right on schedule.  He blew bubbles, looked at us, received love and gave it back.  He had 12 words at 12 months. There were 3 things that were weird that he did, but I told myself those were phases. It didn't freak me out.  Autism had become vague again.

He stopped adding words.  He started screaming.  His behavior became uncontrollable. If we didn't have the older kids to help, I would have lost my mind! I became concerned...very, very concerned.  But just couldn't believe that it was autism.  He was so different than T-Rex, it just couldn't be.

And then it was.  He was 4 when we got him tested.  A 4 yr old boy who tested at 18 months on all his scores.  Some of them were even 12 months!!

How could I have missed this?!?! How could I been so sure of those weird things being phases that I didn't look harder??? Why did I not put the pieces of the puzzle together???

Our journey then began for this child.  So very different from the journey with T-Rex.

After a year of massive, and I mean MASSIVE, medical journey, I am getting my sweet Smoochie back.  He is adding full sentences.  He stopped screaming.  His behavior has become manageable.  I still don't want to believe it is autism.

We had a few new speech tests done last week. He tested 4 yrs 11 months on both of them!!! No more 18 months, no more 12 months, no more 3 years old on the test scores!!! He finally broke through the barrier, smashed the threshold of where he has been stuck for 3 years!!!!

I rejoice in this news and thank the Sweet Lord for answering our prayers!!!

a good mother would!!!!