Autism too??

Seriously?! This cannot be happening. But it is.
Something I have had to say 2 times now, "It could be worse".
I said it with the Hemophilia, and I have now said it again with Autism.
I feel bad for even ever feeling the slightest bit sorry for myself or for Max- because I know how much worse things really could be. So, that is how I keep moving on. But, still...it is something NO mother ever wants to say about her child: "It could be worse", because that means something IS wrong, and we want nothing but perfection and health and happiness for our children.

I knew at 12 months that Max wasn't reaching the speaking milestone. I kept that mentality that a lot of people do : "hes a boy, boys are slower". Max has always been fairly social, very happy, smiling, making eye contact; so we didn't worry.

At the 18 month check-up I panicked. He still wasn't really saying much. He wasn't daying dada, mama, grandma, nothing. He was not pointing or gesturing, no waving bye bye, no pointing at anything he wanted. But, he was so "laid back". We just thought he didn't really need anything bad enough to have to tell us. We always pretty much knew what he wanted before he knew what he wanted! The pediatrician told me to just bring him back in 3 months to check. She also felt he was so social that it was probably ok. Then I started reading. He also flapped his hands when he was excited (which we always thought was cute), he spun things, fixated on ceiling fans, and he had done an odd thing where he spun around in circles and angled his eyeballs to the corner. My mom also read, and called me that day and said "Houston we have a problem". Autism, developmental delays, now this is scarey and unknown and uncertain stuff. Hemophilia is cut and dry- this is what it is, this is how you treat it...its pretty "exact". Autism, there is definitley no cut and dry.

So, this all happened on January 26th. By February 11th he had been evaluated by Infants and Toddlers and Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore. The bottom line: at 19 months, my son had "Severe Global Developmental Delays" with red flags for autism. They put him at a 9 - 10 month level. Even his motor skills were delayed, and he has low muscle tone.

As of May- we have come SO far. I have had speech and occupational therapy with him 2 days a week. One day I take him to a private provider for 2 hours, and another day the speech and occupational therapist from Infants and Toddlers comes to my house to work with him.
We have completed Kennedy Krieger's "Jump Start" program. I took him every Friday for 6 weeks and basically learned some fantastic techniques on how to teach him to communicate, and how to teach him to WANT to communicate! This involves singing, playing and playing and playing...with a purpose though. We also have to teach him how to "appropriately" play with toys. He is one to just throw things or spin them. This is hard- really really hard. And it is constant. The days of just relaxing for a little while as he watched Nick Jr. are over! But, he has made so much progress. We still have a long way to go but I can forsee the day when he may say "mama" and really really mean it! We have a lot of words, a lot of repetition and about 3 weeks ago he has actually started pointing at things. What a beautiful thing. And another important milestone he reached about 5 weeks ago and this is a big one: he actually sometimes will bring me something and put it in my hand to open for him or turn on for him. This is big. And this is due to Kennedy Krieger's help. He will also look now when I point to something or make a big "fuss" over something to try to engage him in Joint Attention. It is working.

Our next journey begins on June 6th. He was lucky enough to meet the criteria and to actually get accepted into Kennedy Krieger's Early Achievements program. My son will get to go there 4 days a week for 2 1/2 hours a day for 6 months , in a class with 4 other children, where the best of the best therapists work with him. This program has helped so many children..I was told by a parent that it was "life changing" and that if I got the opportunity to take it. This is why I decided to do it. Kennedy Krieger is 2 hours away. This is 4 days a week, and I work full time. But we are going to do it. I will be working basically part time, and taking "Intermittent Family Medical Leave" so it will be unpaid. Daddy (Kirk) will take him 1 or 2 days a week. When my daughter and I travel to adopt which will more than likely happen near the end of all of this- dad and grandma will kick it into high gear and get him to his classes. I am not sure what will happen when we get back from China- but between me, my mother and Kirk- we will get through all of this!