Friday, December 31, 2010

The Past Year


While I sit here waiting to ring in 2011, I can't help but think about all that has happened this last year. It feels like a lifetime ago that I had the talk with Miller's doctor. It feels like ten years ago that Miller started Kindering. All these huge, life altering things happened, and it's only been nine months. The longest nine months ever. I am happy however, that so much has happened and that so much is being done to help Miller with this journey. He has made leaps and bounds since last March. I know he will make even more progress in the coming months and the year.
Happy New Year! May 2011 be filled with happiness, joy and good health from our family to yours!
CHEERS TO 2011!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Happy Holidays!


A gift for you:
May you have the gift of tolerance, understanding and patience. May you have the gift of love and laughter. May you have the gift of joy, friendship, faith and family. May you have the gift of life, and enjoy the journey that it brings.
These are the important things under the tree and around the table.

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Individual Results May Vary


It's always hard for me to think about the future. I try to focus on the here and now, but it's the night before Miller's ADOS test, and I'm nervous. Not because of the test itself, but because the results it's going to yield.
When I look at other kids that are older than Miller, I get excited for Miller's development, but then a little piece of me, the little envious piece, feels a pinch of pain. While other parents are planning for school, I'm wondering if Miller will get potty-trained. While other parents are forming futures for their children, I'm wondering if Miller will ever live on his own. Will he have a family? Will he go to college, have friends, a job? While I know all this is uncertain, and I still hold a little glimmer of hope that he will be high-functioning, I am faced with such difficult questions. How do I plan for the future? I don't like to think of Miller being 7, 12, or 18. I just can't do it. I don't even know where we will be next month. But plans still need to be made and put into place. I just wish there was a comforting stepping stone for me to hop to.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Arguments


I hate arguing. I avoid it as much as possible, but this argument was different, and would prove to be the best of my life thus far.
It went something like this:
Miller handed me his sippy cup after a second filling of milk.
Me: (made the sign for "all finished") "All done."
Miller: (makes the sign for "more" and points to his sippy cup)
Me: "No, all done."
Miller: (makes the sign for "more" wildly and points to his sippy cup)
Me: "No, we are all done!"
Miller: (stomps feet, whines loudly, and points)
Me: "All done."
It went like this several more times with Miller growing more frustrated that I was ignoring his signs.
In the end he won, and after a third helping of milk, he promptly passed out on the couch. I think I have a milkaholic on my hands...
This was Miller's first real non-verbal communication with me that was completely comprehensive and held attention. I am so proud.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thankful


What are you thankful for this year?

I am so thankful for my wonderful, smart, sweet, funny, caring little boy. He is my love, my light and my life. I am so thankful today that I got a call from Seattle Children's Autism Center to schedule our ADOS test after a year of waiting.
I am thankful for my wonderful family and friends, without whom I couldn't imagine life. I am thankful that I am able to have a safe, warm home, and nice job, and for the most part, good health.
This year has brought me joy and sorrow, I have learned strength and weakness, and I have climbed mountains and fallen in ditches. But through it all I remember at the end of the day, I have Miller. I can be completely angry at him for something and he'll come up to me and want a kiss on his forehead. He has so much joy and wonder. I wish I could feel that way as well. But that is the magic of childhood.
It was amazing watching him try to catch snowflakes in his hand. He thought they were so awesome. He was dancing all the way to the car even in the freezing cold.
I can't wait until next year when I can look back and remember all the wonderful things of the year.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Bragging Rights


I am so proud of my son!
Not only has he learned to use the "more" sign, but he now has the ability to apply it to all aspects of his day. For example, he uses "more" when playing his favorite games. He has also been learning to point. We are just using this during mealtimes, but I'm hoping that it will catch on as well. Over the past few weeks I have been looking into various different communication options until Miller can develop verbally. I think we will be going with a method called PECS (click the word to learn more about PECS). It seems to fit Miller's learning style the best. Now all I have to do is learn how to use it myself!
At the beginning of the month Terry, Miller and I went into Seattle to visit Children's Hospital for our blood draw. I'm really hoping that we will hear back from the study.
On a happy note, Miller is starting to notice all the festive displays in stores and around town. With his schooling, he can now focus on things, like Christmas lights! He loves looking at them. Terry and I are looking forward to taking him to the Bellevue Botanical Gardens for their annual Christmas lights displays. Maybe Miller will even sit still long enough for a nice picture with Santa (unlike last year...I'd rather not remember that!)

Monday, October 25, 2010

Firsts

It has been a busy 2 weeks!
Just about a week ago, Miller signed his first word: "more"while playing with one of is favorite things, a giant parachute! Terry and I are so thrilled! Hopefully all this class time is finally sinking in. Miller is also able to play "Patty Cake" all on his own. I sing the rhyme, and Miller does all the motions. This is a game we've been playing since he was a little baby, but we've always aided him with the motions. So much fun! I also have Miller's first piece of art hanging on the refrigerator. It's so awesome to have him come home with his little art projects.

I had a meeting today with a representative from the Lake Washington school district. We are getting everything ready for Miller's big move into actual preschool. I was a little weary going into the meeting, but I feel much more optimistic after getting a huge packet about what's going to happen, and all the options we have. The last thing I want is for Miller to fall through the cracks of the public school system. Big changes to come, but I know Miller will do great.

Poor Miller came down with a cold about 10 days ago, and it just seems to want to hang on. Hopefully he will be able to go to class tomorrow, he already missed nearly all of his classes last week. Not a good sign for the months to come.


Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Lawn gnome? No, genome.


When I took Miller to Seattle Children's Autism Clinic for his screening, I had the opportunity to sign up for research studies. The clinic would call us whenever there was a study being done that we qualified for. Terry and I are all about research studies. I feel like so many parents of children with autism try to point fingers and place blame. It may make things feel better for a little while, but like any other medical condition, research needs to be done to find a solution.
Last week I got a call from the research department telling me that we qualified for a autism genetics study. Doctors doing the study have isolated several genomes that may have a link to autism. The researchers will test both parents (if available) and compare the DNA to that of their autistic child. If matches in the genome appear, further diagnostic testing will be done. What does all this mean? In the future, parents would be able to test for an autistic gene before becoming pregnant.
This is a monumental study and could change the lives of so many families, and that is good enough for me. I don't expect there to be a "cure" for autism anytime soon, but I hope that what is being done helps.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The Good Days




I spend so much time blogging about the difficulties that we have in life, that I forget about the special, wonderful days Miller, Terry and I share. Today was one of those days.
We got a rare family day together and decided to take advantage of the perfect, sunny weather with a trip to Craven Farms in Snohomish for pumpkin hunting!
Miller loved being able to run through the pumpkin fields and I loved all the photo-ops! We spent the morning strolling through the fields, admiring the funny pumpkin displays, and visiting friendly farm animals. We picked out 4 perfect little pumpkins to take home and paint, also some fresh Gala apples and little mini-pumpkins and gourds.
I can't wait to paint up our pumpkins and display them proudly on our patio railing.
I'm so glad that we are able to make such wonderful memories with Miller. I hope that he enjoys them too.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

No Apologies


I've noticed that every time I tell someone that Miller has autism, they tell me how sorry they are. Like he has some life threatening virus. Miller is not dying, nor is he fragile. I can only assume that people say this because they don't know what to say. How about telling Miller what a sweet, young man he is? I suppose this just comes with the territory, but it's one thing that really irks me. The last thing I want is for people to tip toe around us like Miller might break if the wrong thing is said. Believe me, nothing will break this kid, and that is one of my favorite things about him. I don't want people to feel sorry for us. We are not sorry. Yes, things can get difficult, but we are not sorry. Miller is a huge light in many lives.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Just keep waiting, waiting, waiting...


The last two weeks have had their share of ups and downs, but things are moving forward.
Miller is getting used to going to school 4 days a week and has been making progress in all areas.
Last week we had our much anticipated appointment at Seattle Children's Autism Clinic. Turns out it wasn't the testing appointment, but a qualifying interview for Miller to make sure that he would benefit from services. He passed, so back on another waiting list (at least this one is only 2-3 months!) to receive his ADOS exam. In the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), a doctor and child psychologist assess Miller's strengths and weaknesses in communication, social interaction and imaginative use of materials through play. Children's Clinic will also be our "middle man" when we are done with Kindering. Now to wait for another phone call.
Something that keeps popping up in conversation when I'm talking to other parents and Miller's educators is routines and schedules. This opens up a whole new can of worms for me. Growing up, I never had a real routine or schedule and things were done by the "seat of our pants." As a parents, Terry and I really don't have a schedule for Miller as both of us work full time, and things could change at any minute. However, we are starting to see the benefits of a small bit of structure. This last week, I worked on getting a "bedtime routine" going for Miller, because that seems to be a difficult point for us. Difficult in the fact that Miller is a night owl like Terry and myself. This was never really an issue before Miller started going to school, and even now we have worked around it somehow. By the end of the week, I had Miller going to bed at 9:30pm every night! I took some time to pay attention to his natural sleepy cues before I bombarded him with demands. I noticed that if he eats dinner, plays a little, takes a bath, has some warm milk, and we turn out the light, he will be asleep in less than 10 minutes. I was so proud of myself for sticking to this plan and following through. I had attempted bedtime before, but it always ended up in crying. Miller seems to enjoy a nice, full night's sleep as well!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Closing a Chapter

This has been an overwhelming week. But, we survived the first week of "preschool", and all seems to be going well. Miller now goes to parent/teacher co-op class on Mondays, "Cubs" preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays and alternates Fridays with speech pathology with occupational therapy and cognitive in-home therapies. Whew! We are busy this school year, but it's nice that Miller was able to receive so much help. In February, we will integrate into either the Bellevue School District or the Lake Washington School District for his future schooling.
On Monday, I received a call that we had been waiting for. When Miller was first suspected of having Autism, our doctor referred us to the Children's Autism Clinic in Seattle. I called and put Miller's name on a waiting list. The wait to have a evaluation diagnosis: 9 to 12 MONTHS. Finally we were able to schedule an appointment for next Tuesday. We've been through a lot in the last few months, but this feels like the closing of a chapter. Finally we will have all the real answers, not just speculations. I'm nervous. I know what's going to happen, but it still feels weird. Like I'm still looking at my life through a window, or watching the story in a movie. Finalizing, but not ending. Moving forward.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

To Love And To Cherish

A big part of our "Promoting First Relationships" was relearning how to cherish Miller. What does it mean to cherish your child? Unconditional love? It means to accept Miller the way he is. All of us have the ability you look past the quirks in the ones we love, but we often forget that that also applies to our children. When we form relationships we automatically accept certain personality traits that are different from ours, however we seek perfection with our children.
We spent a lot of time with our teachers about what it means to accept Miller for who he is. Push past his autism, and see him for the wonderful, sweet, loving little boy that he is. I so often forget that this is who Miller is. I spend too much time focusing on things that aren't really all that important, but I focus on them because I think that that is what I should be doing. Once I was taught that those things are really not that big of a deal, I was able to see past them.
In a way, we had to reteach ourselves. Look at Miller again with new eyes. We needed to see how he was letting us into his world, even if only for a second. Through Miller's play, and the video taping that was done as part of our sessions, I was able to see all the ways that Miller lets us into his world. How he engages us, and responds to our suggestions. After learning that, I was able to enjoy Miller if different ways. I focused on his cues, and even though he doesn't have the "typical" play style of other children his age, we still make up games, imagine fantasies and enjoy each other just a little more. I encourage other parents to really take a step back and think about what they cherish about their children. And then cherish them every single day.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

And on We Go...

It's been a while since I've posted. I think I've been avoiding posting because the familiarities are over and I have to really think about how I'm feeling. It's easy for me to post about things that have happened in the past. I have had time to process and reflect on those feelings. Now it's all raw and fresh, I guess I have to learn how to deal with these feelings.
It's been a great summer. We have just finished our "Promoting First Relationships" 10 week program through the University of Washington's Autism Center. The program was enlightening for all of us. It really gave a different perspective to us about how we parent, and I think we better understand Miller and his behaviors.
I have been dealing with some heavy feelings lately. Mostly envy of other parents. I really hate seeing parents take for granted all the wonderful little things that their child does. Talking, interacting, using imagination, etc. I don't get to experience any of these things with Miller. And I think that has been really hard on me lately, especially as Miller is about to enter preschool. We are getting to the point when I can really start to see all the other kids pass Miller by, and it hurts. I want to get into Miller's world, and I can't. I just have to be there for when he's ready to let me in.
Another big issue for me has been my need to feel understood. So many people come to me with suggestions, which I don't mind, it's when you think you know what's best for my baby. Or you treat us like we have the plague. Don't worry, you're child is not going to catch Miller's autism. I think it also has a lot to do with the area that we live in. This area is very affluent and we are by no means "living large". We are often times made to feel like we don't belong. This is a tough one because Miller doesn't pick up that feeling. It's a lot of glares, stares and whispering. Also parents try to tell me that they know what I'm going through. They don't. I don't mean to sound mean or rude about it, but they don't know what it's like to have a child with special needs unless they have one.
Well, moving onto something more uplifting, Miller has started to use small signs for his basic needs. We have been working on "more" and "hungry". When his preschool and therapies pick back up, we'll be able to work on these with more consistency. I'm really looking forward to preschool. Miller will be going for 4 hours each week, split up over two days. And this is not a co-op, so we'll be leaving Miller at school! That will be a huge change for all of us! When Miller turns 3 in February, we will go into the local school district.
Fun times to come and I will do my best to keep posting!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Express Yourself!

At one of our recent in-home therapies with Miller's cognitive therapist, we focused on validating Miller's emotional feelings, specifically, his anger and frustration issues. In the past, Miller would hit his head on the floor, or sliding glass door to release some of that frustration. He is now learning to vent that frustration through "squeezes", our own word for addressing those difficult situations. It is very common for people with autism to have sensory needs that differ from you and I. For example, a common sensory need is the need to crack ones' knuckles or neck. We view this as a nervous habit, but actually we are satisfying a little twitch that we most commonly feel on a subconscious level. These sensory needs are often stronger as well in children with autism. With Miller, he needs a very deep pressure on his head, chest or back. And when I say deep pressure, I mean a firm flat palm whap to his chest. He seeks out this feeling to ease that twitch or in most cases, frustration, but sometimes he comes close to hurting himself. Our new focus has been to help him learn to ease those feelings by reinforcing the positive behavior and rewarding him with a squeeze. I always feel kind of weird when we are out shopping or running errands because it looks like I'm hitting him, but he actually becomes more calm and focused when that little sensory need is met. Terry and I had to learn the early warning signs, ie. frustration, and learn get to him before he is able to complete that need in a negative fashion. He still needs a supplementary " sensory diet" to ease some of his feelings, but Terry and I are learning how to meet those certain needs with the help of our therapists. It is definitely a constant worry that we will miss something, but so far, things seem to be going well.
It has now been about 12 weeks since Miller started therapies, and about 6 weeks since he started going to "class". The progress he has made has been wonderful. However, sometimes I feel like he is taking one step forward and then three steps back. We have good weeks and bad weeks. This last week has been a very good week.
A big issue lately has been Miller's constant need to climb, crawl, pull and chew everything in our little baby proofed living room. And in there lies our problem. It's just BABY proofed, not "I'm Miller and I'm two and a half and I can lift and throw cinder blocks" proofed. Last week he pulled the TV out of the entertainment center. Terry has gone to great lengths to insure his safety, but it was just getting out of control. Almost everything has been bungee corded to the couch or wall. So, after a day that nearly caused a nervous break down, Terry started giving Miller warnings and time-outs. This hadn't worked before, not only because Miller didn't understand what he was doing wrong, but he didn't understand what Terry and I were trying to say to him. Now he receives a warning, usually "no" or "uhuh" and if he doesn't stop what he is getting into, he goes into his highchair without a snack and we ignore him for five to ten minutes. Sounds bad, I know, but the negative behavior has decreased and now when we mention the word "time-out" he stops doing what he was doing. A seemingly small triumph for Terry, but a huge step in how we work our days.
It has also been a great week because we are going to be participating in a research study being done by the University Of Washington's Autism Center! Our teacher approached us last week at class and asked if we would be interested. Of course! What an awesome experience for Miller. The study is focusing on how parents interact with their special needs children, specifically those with autism. Each of the 10 sessions will be taped and then more studies will be done based on those videos. We are so excited! Our first session is next week.


Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Baby Steps

We have the best pediatrician. It took a few tries to find him, but it was worth it.
Our first pediatrician was the most prestigious in the clinic. It took months to schedule an appointment with her, and she came highly recommended from other families we had talked to. She was dead set on helping me learn to breast feed. I think that was the most stressful thing about those first few appointments. Miller just couldn't do it. It wasn't programmed into his set of skills. I still gave him breast milk, but I pumped it every few hours and fed him by bottle. The second one was OK, but she was quick to put Miller on medications that he really might not have needed. (ON A SIDE NOTE: In case you all were wondering, yes, Miller has received all his vaccines to date without any side effects. We DO NOT believe the vaccines caused Miller's autism. This is just the way he is and we have come to accept that.) Then, by accident, when scheduling one of Miller's checkups, I mentioned the wrong name to the secretary (both the doctors had very similar last names.) Imagine my shock when this new doctor came into the waiting room instead of the one I thought I had scheduled with. It must have been fate because this new doctor seemed to already know the ins and outs of Miller. He also was the only one who told me it was my choice on how to feed my little baby. When I told him that breast feeding was very stressful, he pointed me in the right direction of some really great organic soy formulas that we used until Miller was able to consume cow's milk. He was also the one who told me he thought something might be wrong with Miller. After we talked a little bit about the characteristics of autism, I knew why he had asked me specific questions. I knew what he was looking for and why. He was quick to write me a very thorough referral and hand me some pamphlets about autism. He also called me to check up on how I was handling things a few weeks later. He commended Terry and I for being awesome parents and taking the news of Miller's autism so well. He wanted to stay in touch and said that he would be keeping tabs on Kindering. What a great guy.
When I left the clinic, I was feeling so numb. I didn't want to believe that Miller had autism. No parent wants to hear what I heard. I went to the car, buckled Miller in, and looked at the first pamphlet. At the top it read "Helping Children With Special Needs" and I cried. How could this happen? My one and only child has "special needs"? I was devastated.
The next few days were rough. I did my best to research autism on the internet, but every time I tried to read something, I would start crying. I still didn't want to believe it, but I knew deep down in the pit of my stomach it was true. It was time for me to get Miller the help he needed and deserved. Terry and I needed help too. We were parenting by the seats of our pants. It worked well for us. When an issue arose, we addressed it. So, now, not only were we learning to raise a two year old, we were going to have to learn to raise a two year old with autism. We needed guidance and support.
The referral our pediatrician gave us was for Kindering. A sort of "full service" center for children with special needs and their parents. They were to handle the evaluation of Miller's needs and then set us up with the right therapists and classes. After the initial shock of having a child with special needs wore off, I called them and hit the first of what was to be many, brick walls. There was a 6 month waiting list, just for an evaluation! I put Miller's name on the list and we waited. After 2 weeks, we got a call. They had a cancellation and wanted to know if we would like the appointment. So, a week later, Miller, Terry and I found ourselves at the building where we would soon come to find comfort, knowledge and most importantly, hope.
Miller's evaluation took about two hours. There were 4 different therapists scoring him in various categories. He was graded based on a scale of -5 to +5, with -5 being the lowest score and +5 being the highest. According to the state of Washington, the average two year old should score a 0 to +1.5. I'm not going to put all of Miller's scores here, but when averaged out, he scored -3.5. He was behind in his communication skills, social skills, and cognitive skills. This we knew already. But now, we had something to back it up, so Miller could start build the skills he needed to be a healthy, happy boy! Terry and I left the evaluation feeling happy for the first time in weeks. We no longer felt like we were doing this all on our own. Within 24 hours we had a social worker who had set up appointments for us to meet our therapists, and within 3 days, we had out first session.
The evaluation was needed to determine Miller's eligibility for services from Kindering. And also, to help get us the Washington state aid we needed to support his therapies and classes. I know a lot of people will give me guff for signing up with the state. Yes, they know who we are now. Yes, they know Miller has special needs. I'm OK with that. Did you know it costs about $15,000 for just one year of class? That's a 80 minute class, once a week. Now add in the 3 different therapists at $148 an hour, with one session for each therapist once a week...that's about $23,000 a year. So all together now that's $38,000, oh boy! Our insurance will cover only a small chunk of this, but with the state's aid and very generous private funding for Kindering, Miller can now receive the help he needs.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Our Story

I always knew I wanted to be a mom. I didn't know when it would happen, but I couldn't wait! Finally when my husband said that he was ready for a child, I was ecstatic, and only a month after we started trying, I was pregnant. It was July 3, 2007. My due date: March 1, 2008.
I was one of those pregnant gals that wanted to do everything right during my pregnancy. I also wanted to know every little thing that was going on. I followed my weekly development calendar and read all the books. Terry and I completed 3 different classes with Evergreen Hospital and attended a few day long seminars. We thought we were as ready as we could be.
I had a wonderful pregnancy. As my doctor put it, "I was just made to carry children." I only had morning sickness for one month and I never was actually sick. I never had any pain or aches. I loved being pregnant.
The months flew by and I kept working my full time job. I planned to work until I went into labor and that was what happened.
My parents planned a wonderful fancy "last dinner before baby" night out. My aunt and uncle were also coming to celebrate with us. We went out to eat at Canlis on Queen Anne hill. Canlis is one of those restaurants where you can easily drop $200 a person. Gasp! On the big night we were seated in the middle of the restaurant, all eyes on us. First course, wonderful! Second course, perfect. My mom had mentioned that she needed to excuse herself to visit the restroom and I said that I would join her. Just as I was standing up, my water broke! I was horrified! A huge mess all over the dinning room and everyone was looking at me! I sat back down (which was probably good because my heart was beating at 200 miles per hour!) My mom brought me my coat, which I tied around my huge waist and we were off to the hospital. The only problem with that whole thing? It was only February 4, 2008, almost a month before my due date.
I was able to stop at the apartment for a quick change and to get our things before I was rushed to the hospital. When we got there, I had to wait an hour before they had a room ready for me. They told me it was a really busy night! I got into my room and they started me on petosin to help the contractions increase. I waited there for the next 20 hours with only mild contractions. Finally when they had bumped me up to the highest dose, I finally started to feel something, unfortunately, after the water has broken, you have only 24 hours to deliver the baby. So, here I am at 20 hours and just getting started. So, I had to forgo my plans for a natural birth and get an epidural. Best decision of my life. Almost immediately after I received the epidural, things were getting underway and at 3:36pm on February 5, 2008, Miller Monroe Carlin Waldher was born. He was 18 & 3/4 inces long and weighed just 5 pounds. My beautiful baby boy. I got to hold him for only a few minutes before the nurses noticed that he was not breathing well. He was immediately rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Until (NICU). I was left all alone.
I was able to see him that evening, but I didn't know if I wanted to. I know that sounds horrible, but I wanted to remember my prefect little baby. When I saw him I cried. He was in and incubator and hooked up to a breathing machine that was giving him air. His lungs were not developed enough to work on their own. He had a feeding tube in his nose. I couldn't see him like that. It killed me. Not only was my little baby hooked up to all these things, but they didn't have enough rooms available, so we couldn't even stay with him. That night I left the hospital with no little baby in my arms, or in my tummy. I wasn't able to breast feed him because he was too weak to latch on, so for the next few days I was up every 2 hours to pump milk and bring it into the hospital.
Over the next week, we heard a hundred different diagnosis. Some said that he would be in the NICU for months, others said weeks. We just kept hoping that he would magically become strong and start eating and gaining weight. Finally after 6 days, we were able to get our own room and start learning how to take are of a preemie. After 3 sleepless nights and days spent at the NICU, on the 9th morning a nurse came in and asked us if we were ready to take him home. We thought they were joking, but they weren't.
We brought our little person home and for the next 3 months I don't think either Terry or myself slept more than 4 hours at a time. Miller had severe acid reflux and couldn't keep any food down. He was not gaining weight and had little skinny "chicken" legs and arms. Finally in the 5th month he started to grow. He would remain very small in height and weight until his first birthday in 2009.
The next 6 months were amazing! Having a little person around was both challenging and joyful, frustrating and rewarding. Terry and I both learned to relax and not sweat the little things.
Around 13 months Miller started walking. I couldn't wait till he started talking! We hit 15 months and passed our pediatric appointment with flying colors. At 17 months we started to notice little things about Miller that were different from other toddlers his age. He acted differently to things, was not very social with kids his age and picked up strange obsessions with weird objects. I was very fearful at his 18 month check up, but he passed all the tests perfectly. The following 6 months were a roller coaster. He started banging his head when he couldn't communicate what he wanted. He became even more obsessed with certain objects and still was not talking. Everyone I talked to seemed to know someone who had a boy that didn't talk until he was 3 or 4 years old. I worried the whole last month before his second birthday. I knew I had to make that 24 month check up, but I didn't want to because I knew deep down what my doctor would tell me.
The day of his appointment finally came and on March 9, 2010 I found out my perfect little boy had autism.

This is Miller's story. Our journey through classes and therapies. Doctors and diagnosis, and everything in between.
Comments are always welcome, as are questions and suggestions. This is a learning experience for all of us.