Our Diagnosis Story
I remember a moment when Will was 9 months old, and all of the babies in our playgroup had started waving to their parents. One of those cute milestones that every parent waits for. Concerned, I told one of the other moms that Will wasn't waving yet. She told me that she was sure he would wave soon and all kiddos develop at different paces. As soon as she spoke those words, something hit me deep down and I knew in that moment that something was off about my baby boy. I dismissed the feeling of course because he was a baby. To this day, I can count on one hand the number of times Will has waved. Around that same time, Will started Mother's Day Out and I remember thinking how wonderful it was that I had a baby who never cried when I dropped him off. He didn't really care that he was separated from me. And on top of that, his comfort object was not a blanket or sweet little animal; it was a heavy, plastic hammer. He turned one and could not focus on one toy for very long. He moved around a lot, rarely babbled and didn't really respond to his name. Again, he was one so we dismissed it. He is just a "busy kid" we would say. Later that year, Will's personality took a dark turn. He seemed unhappy most of the time and stopped eating all foods except bananas and yogurt.
A few months before he turned two, at the urging of his Mother's Day Out teacher, we had Will tested for developmental delays. After a series of tests, the report showed he was 40% delayed across the board except for gross motor skills which were and have always been exceptional. Will turned two and things turned from bad to much worse. Will became aggressive after he turned two. He spent most of his day screaming, hitting, kicking, biting, pulling hair, you name it. He was so frustrated and couldn't make sense of anything. In September of 2013, he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and began therapy at the tender age of two.
A few months before he turned two, at the urging of his Mother's Day Out teacher, we had Will tested for developmental delays. After a series of tests, the report showed he was 40% delayed across the board except for gross motor skills which were and have always been exceptional. Will turned two and things turned from bad to much worse. Will became aggressive after he turned two. He spent most of his day screaming, hitting, kicking, biting, pulling hair, you name it. He was so frustrated and couldn't make sense of anything. In September of 2013, he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and began therapy at the tender age of two.