…and then it’s all about where we are going!

Living with autism did not begin for us the day we received Wilson’s autism diagnosis. He was the same boy the day before the diagnosis as he was the day after. For us, the journey to discovering this diagnosis began last summer when an educational specialist from the school district brought to our attention that she noticed red flags for autism in Wilson. At that time, Wilson was receiving Early Intervention from the school district for speech delay. Autism had kind of been on my radar, though I didn’t know very much about it. I was just a new mom, worried that her son wasn’t talking or socializing in the same way as other kids his age.

This news about autism red flags was crushing. It’s one thing to have a worried feeling in a very distant part of you, but a whole different thing when someone you barely know confirms that these worries are very real and valid. I knew next-to-nothing about autism besides that it scared the shit out of me. I immediately consulted Dr. Google and found that there was no cure.  For several weeks, I could not get past that. I felt like Wilson had been slapped with some kind of life sentence. And we had too.

We immediately began weekly speech therapy again (he had done it for a few months when he was two) and occupational therapy followed for motor planning issues. This is when my hatred for waiting lists began. The months that followed were filled with a “hurry up and wait” mentality. We were rushed to get Wilson the early intervention he so desperately needed and that his specialists recommended, but were plagued by waiting lists at every turn. Developmental Pediatrician, Psychologist, insurance, Educational Autism Evaluation, results, Psychological Autism Evaluation, results, Naturopathic Physician, blood and urine testing, results. There was always a long wait for something. It was torturous at times.

Here is what they don’t tell you about early intervention: the earlier you “intervene”, the harder it is to know what you are dealing with. For MONTHS we were back and forth on whether or not Wilson truly had autism. And so were the professionals in that field! Talk about a confusing, rollercoaster of emotions. We went through it all: denial, pessimism, optimism, sadness, hopeful, mad, exhaustion, scared.  So scared.

Eventually, with the diagnosis, came acceptance. Which felt somewhat like relief, given the confusing months we had all been through. We found a path, developed a treatment plan, and hit the ground running. We met with a Naturopathic Physician that specialized in autism. She helped us look at Wilson’s health as a whole and what types of deficiencies and ailments we could address to make him feel better physically.  We started him on the gluten-free/casein-free (GFCF) diet (more on that later). We also removed some of the added sugars and food coloring from his diet. 

Some of these changes weren’t going to be easy, given his extremely picky and limited eating habits. We started him on some vitamin supplements, fish oil, a probiotic, a botanical digestion supplement, and last but not least, Methyl B12 injections (lots more on this later). Slipping things into my child’s meals and sneaking into his room in the middle of the night to give him an injection in his sweet, perfect little bottom is definitely not where I saw this motherhood thing going.  I’m willing to try anything (within reason) to help my boy.

Wilson started Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) in July and it’s going great so far. ABA is the application of behavioral principles of learning and motivation to the improvement of socially significant behavior.  In short, his therapists study certain targeted behaviors and figure out the root of why these behaviors are occurring. Then they use these behavioral principles to increase or decrease certain behaviors as well as teach complex skills in areas such as communication, self-help, play skills, and self-regulation.  He is working hard, learning so much and the best part: he loves going there.  I’m looking forward to sharing more about his ABA experience in the coming months!