It was supposed to be a fun family trip to a theme park in Kansas City. In fact, the park's name is "Worlds of Fun". But for Jeremy and Amelia it was anything but. Elizabeth, Jeremy and Amelia's two-year-old daughter, threw tantrums while at the park -- screaming and pulling her hair. "It was miserable," said Jeremy. "It really was. We'd never had her in an environment like that before."
It was during that trip in July 2009 that Jeremy and Amelia realized Elizabeth's behavior wasn't just the terrible twos. "I'd say that's when things clicked," said Jeremy. "Everything -- the jumping up and down, the flapping -- that's when we really noticed (there was something else wrong)."
It was then that they started their journey toward an autism diagnosis, working with doctors and finally hearing the words they anticipated in March 2010. "We knew what was going on," said Jeremy, who has worked with adults with disabilities. "Our world didn't come crashing down. There was no depression. We just got to work."
Genetic testing also confirmed that Elizabeth had a duplication of the 22nd chromosome, which could lead to other problems with her health and development.
Wichita, KS
