My son Conner was diagnosed at 4 years old. He was a preemie and was average at most of his milestones except for language. Here I was a military wife who just had her second child when I was told my hyper four year old didn't just have ADHD but he had as they called it "full blown autism". I wondered and worried- would my son never speak? Is Conner always going to yell with frustration that he cannot communicate! Will my new baby not be able to have a big brother to play with? It has been 7 months since we have started occupational speech and ABA therapy and my son is turning into a whole different child. Hes saying more sounds- hes giving more eye contact and best of all hes interacting with his baby brother. He has shown me tremendous courage and proved that a little thing called autism will not stop him from being great. I cant imagine life without all of his therapists for they have helped him find his voice which continues to expand everyday! As Conners mom I promised him that I would share his story so others will learn more about autism because every child is different but that's not always a bad thing. His story isn't finished yet but one day I'm pretty sure he will be able to tell you it himself.

lizza batista
Charleston, SC