My Ava is 6 and just received her diagnosis and she is an amazing little girl. She is taking the world in day by day and each day I see the light shine that much brighter in her eyes. The diagnosis does not mean the end of your dreams for your child, it simply means the dream changes slightly. She sees the world from a different window but I meet her halfway and we walk together learning how to make the world make sense. She has overcome so much in her life so far that the sky is the limit. When she was 6 months old she lost everything due to seizures and we were told she would not walk talk or be able to do much. She is doing all that and then some!! The first thing you learn with a child with autism is that the only limits are the ones you set. Celebrate the little things as they turn into big things. She is a loving caring little girl who has hugs and kisses for me and her family. I was so sad at first when I knew she was autistic. We knew far before she was diagnosed something was not right so we did what we had to, we were sad, we cried, we worried, but we made sure she got the help she needed. Be your child's advocate, their voice, their strength but be their mom or dad who just lets them be a kid. I guess the point I am making is a diagnosis is not your child it is simply a word, and that word does not prevent your child from developing into what they will be. Ava has made me a better person and she is my inspiration and she is my hero, she may not speak a 1,000 words quite yet but she tells her story if you listen. My Ava may have autism and she may not be "normal" in some people's eyes but those who walk to the beat of a different drum make waves!!! <3

Anonymous
Casper, WY