The "A" Word

Although I have known it in my heart for a couple of months now, we finally have an official diagnosis for Kaden. Yes, he has autism.

We have definitely tip-toed around the "A" word since this all began, mostly because we did not know for sure. So many little one's his age are diagnosed with PDD-NOS (Persuasive Developmental Disorder) and not diagnosed with autism until they are a little older. Kaden met all of the criteria to receive a full autism diagnosis. I know, a lot of you are probably reading this thinking "ahhhh man, that sucks!" But trust me, this is actually a good thing.

Of course i'm not jumping for joy and celebrating the fact that my son was diagnosed with autism. I don't think any parent dreams of having a child that is anything other than neuro-typical (that's what we call "normal" in the world of autism). But, I have accepted it and gone into "mommy" mode. I realize that I am Kaden's biggest advocate now, and always will be. As another mom to a child of autism told me when we were first starting this journey, "you are the one driving this ship, but you will also Kaden's safe harbor." It is important for us to remember that now that he has a diagnosis, so many doors will open up to get him the continued treatment and services that he needs to grow & develop.

So now, we are on a journey to recover Kaden from autism. And yes, I believe it can be done. I don't care how many people look at me like I am crazy for changing his diet so drastically, or think i'm being extreme by giving him supplements. He is physically healthy, and we have seen nothing other than positive results thus far. When it comes to your child, you are willing to try almost anything if there is even the slightest chance it could work, and of course as long it is safe for him.

With Kaden's diagnosis came some very positive feedback from Dr.Ross (Developmental Pediatrician). Below are the areas of concern, but she said she feels he is cognitively where he should be and very bright. She said that will be key in is ability to recover. I decided to share a few things from the diagnosis report because people are constantly asking me how they could possibly diagnose so young and what exactly are they looking for. So, here are the areas of concern for Kaden:

• 1(a) Marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to- eye gaze, facial expression, body postures & gestures to regulate social interaction.

• 1(b) Failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to development level.

• 1(c) Lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests or achievements with other people.

• 1(d) Lack of social or emotional reciprocity

• 2(a) Delay in or lack of development of spoken language

• 2(c) Stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language

• 3(d) Persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

It is amazing to me when I think about all of the positive changes we have seen in Kaden over the last 5 weeks, since we have changed his diet. My mom and I were just talking about this the other day. Here are some of the changes we have seen since Kaden has been on the GFCF/FG diet:

• He makes eye contact more (you can actually get him to do it now)
• He points at things and people
• He follows most two word commands
• He is present and connected in a way he wasn't before
• He is calm most of the time (within reason for a two year old)
• He makes so many more sounds

These are just some of the profound changes we are seeing in him. By next week he will be going on all of his therapy and his next IFSP is in September. I can't wait to sit down with his team of therapists in September and reflect on all of his accomplishments. They have set some hefty goals for him, but Kaden is an amazingly determined little boy and I know he will do great!


Have a wonderful weekend!