How did we get here?

When I picked up Luke from school today, like most days, he was happy to see me. He loves to jump into my arms and give me the biggest hug and kiss. I love it! He has been going to school at Goodwill Easter Seals Child Development Center for the past 6 months and the progress he has made has been absolutely wonderful. Just thinking about it caused me to look back and see where he was before starting this program, thus, the question,"how did we get here?" (Sorry to disappoint any of you who might have thought this was somehow going to be about biology or our beginnings on this planet. I am not that deep a thinker, especially today).

When I took Luke for his 2 year well check up, I really didn't have a clue that anything could be wrong. My oldest, Nathan, was born when I was only 26 weeks 4 days gestation (something I hope to post about sometime). He did not meet milestones on time because of his prematurity so my husband and I didn't think much of it when Luke wasn't talking at 2 years of age. He had some peculiar habits, like becoming intensely focused on an object, such as a toy car, and would get down on it's level and roll it back and forth. He loved to sit in the same spot on the sofa or in his bed and pile blankets on top of him ( now we know it was a sensory input issue). He also had and still has an intense fascination with horses. He loves them. It is like he commes alive when he gets on a horse. Thankfully, we have a very proactive pediatrician who asked the right questions and didn't wait to see if he would just "catch up." He saw something that we didn't. I will never forget his words, "I think we need to have Luke evaluated to rule out autism." Tears filled my eyes immediately. Could something really be wrong?

The next 7 months were filled with evaluations by speech and occupational therapies, assessments by developmental pediatricians, vision and hearing evaluations, evaluation by a pediatric psychologist, DNA evaluation by a geneticist, early intervention therapies and various blood work to look at his iron levels, among other things. Then, on August 23, 2010, it was time for the autism evaluation. Everything else had been ruled out and it was on that day that we heard what we had suspected but didn't want to hear. Luke was diagnosed with autism and so, our journey began.

For the next 3 months, our lives grew progressively more difficult. We saw Luke's frustration increase as his delays in expressive communication became more evident. He just couldn't get it out so he began to scream. This became a frustration for the whole family. We often couldn't figure out what he was trying to communicate to us. We all cried at some point. Often, at many points. Life seemed to be one big mess. I questioned my sanity more than a few times. Just when I thought might lose it, I received a call from the school which Luke now attends telling me that they had an opening for Luke. That was music to my ears. I needed help and I can't begin to express how this helped me.

Luke's first day was November 29, 2010. He has made the most remarkable progress in the last 6 months. His screaming has significantly decreased. He is able to communicate through pictures and his word usage is increasing with each passing week. Most of the time, we can understand what he is trying to tell us. There are those times when we still can't figure it out and we all still get frustrated. He makes wonderful eye contact and he has the sweetest smile and cutest dimples you have ever seen. He is learning to play with his peers now and he participates in activities with his class. He has learned to identify his name on paper and he often imitates his brother in play at home. That is big stuff! He loves school too! When he gets there, he is quick to wave bye but when I return, he greets me with the best hugs ever! This program was an answer to prayer for our Luke and our family. We love each and every person at that school.  The teachers and the staff love the kids and the kids love them.  It is such a blessing to be able to take your child to a place where they are loved and where they are learning and growing each day.  I thank God for the progress I see in Luke's life and I am so thankful for people who are dedicated to helping children with special needs.  They are truly angels.