...Autism?

As Noah continues to learn and progress in his development, Jason and I continue to look for answers. On Friday, March 13th we finally got some. 

Noah, Jason and I spent all day at the Compass clinic at University of Colorado hospital for an autism evaluation. We spent the morning with a behavioral therapist who played with and evaluated Noah while he played. 

Here is what we learned. Autism Spectrum disorder is considered to have a neurological basis and is usually present from birth. Parents do not cause autism spectrum disorder. Each child with an autism spectrum disorder has his or her own set of strengths and needs. Children with autism spectrum disorder share similar challenges in social communication. However, these behaviors may change over time. With support, progress could be noted in all areas of functioning.

Due to Noah's current developmental delays, hearing and vision concerns, the results from the testing we received, we have been told, need to be interpreted very cautiously. That being said, we have been given a "cautious" autism diagnosis. 

The doctor who gave us this diagnosis was very concerned for us right after she explained her findings. It is assumed that 99.9% of parents who receive this type of news about their child are overwhelmed, confused, and extremely upset. It's all about perspective. When you're told your child has a rare disease called Leukodystrophy and then find out he is not a good candidate for treatment and that it is terminal, that he may not see his bar mitzvah age, an autism diagnosis is almost a relief. We do realize that autism can be devastating to some families, but we are lucky to have received this news so early in his life, lucky to have had him in therapy for 2 years already, lucky to be at the Rise school, lucky that we have support from family and friends, lucky that we live in Colorado (where insurance is mandated to provide coverage for ASD) and most of all lucky to have our sweet Noah in good health. B"H. 

Noah is currently receiving Physical therapy, Occupational therapy and Speech therapy at home and at school and Music therapy at school twice a week. He is always impressing us with his new skills and just this week started consistently communicating what he wants by making the sign for "give me". 

He is walking and even starting to try to run! He plays games with us, and knows the routines for "happy and you know it" and "row, row, row your boat" (which is his favorite right now!) among a few others. Although he is behind the "normal" he is making strides and that's all we could ever want! We continue to pray for his continued success and good news from our medical providers. Thanks for reading about our current news as we start this new journey. 

Xoxo,

Tamara