Right after his first birthday, our son had an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts and he lost his words around the same time. At 18 months he was formally diagnosed with moderate to severe Autism.
We were told to start OT, PT, and ABA immediately and to focus on life skills. No one offered much hope. To make matters worse, our son developed multiple life-threatening allergies and was diagnosed with severe bowel disease. He went from 90th to 7th percentile for weight - failure to thrive.
Posturing, stimming and head-banging were our norm.
We were devastated and overwhelmed, but we never lost hope. We attended Autism conferences and sought out renowned experts so we could learn from the best. Our greatest wish was to find THE DOCTOR who had THE CURE. However, we soon learned that there was so much conflicting advice out there and that no one agreed on anything. We felt confused and alone.
Deep down, we knew there had to be a better way. We trusted our intuition to guide us and we dedicated ourselves to doing what felt right for our son - even if it was unpopular or inconvenient. We sought out doctors and programs that supported our family and our specific needs and ended relationships that did not serve us.
We’ve spent over a decade on this journey. It’s been transformative. And our son is now 12 years old - and he’s thriving!