Javin was diagnosed with Autism in June of 2009. I noticed when he was a little over a year old that he didn't talk like other children I knew his age but I was told time and time again that it was because he was a boy or "maybe he didn't have anything to say yet". Then I started to realize that he wasn't playing in a typical way. At first I thought he was highly independent, able to entertain himself for hours at a time but then I saw that rather than imaginative play, he was lining up his toys by color or character or some other pattern that made sense to him. When he started having tummy issues, I talked to his pediatrician and he agreed that we should have Javin evaluated for speech. His doctor told me that it's very common for Gastrointestinal issues and speech to be linked.
So, in February 2009 he started to see a speech therapist and special instruction therapist. After a few sessions, Javin was deemed to have at least a 25% delay and was accepted into Frederick County's Infant & Toddlers Program. We then added an occupational therapist to the mix to help him with his eating issues. I had him tested for Celiac's Disease and it came back negative. He does, however, have a milk allergy (which I learned is different than lactose intolerant- he can't even have lactose-free milk), a slight egg allergy and a slight wheat allergy. He is on all rice and soy products now and I'm slowly working him into a gluten-free diet since he has egg and wheat allergies as well.
As of now, with all the therapy Javin receives, he has made TREMENDOUS improvements! He says many words now and can even say short sentences. I also feel like he is starting to comprehend concepts better as well. I can't stress enough how important it is to have early intervention. If you have someone you love that you suspect may have special needs, please have them evaluated! I have more information on this in my other blog (http://www.speakautism.blogspot.com/).
The biggest success story for me with Javin is that he finally said "I Love You" to me!! It's still few and far between that he'll say it now...he reserves it only for certain times that he deems is necessary to say it. But I'll take it...anytime he feels he's ready to say it, I'm ready to hear it...
