My Nathaniel, which in Hebrew means God's gift had a difficult birth. When we first laid eyes on him he was everything we could hope for in a baby. He reached his milestones at a later date than his older brother had, but he was still within normal limits for his age. We started to questions if something was wrong when we noticed he wouldn't play with other children and that he exhibited no empathy and obsessed about trains. When I first took him to see the psychologist, and was told he had autism, I felt my heart shatter to pieces. All the dreams and hopes I had for him vanished. I fell into a deep depression and kept asking "why me?" Luckily I was able to reach out on a website for parents with children with autism and was directed to get him help immediately. This is the best decision I ever made. Our Nathaniel went from an anti social child to one interested in friends. He learned social skills and how to converse. He will always be a true friend to those who are lucky enough to take the time to know him. I also learned a valuable lesson from my special little boy, set different expectations, not less. Judge your child by their own abilities to accomplish the impossible, not by what society deems success. I clearly remember the moment when Nathaniel expressed that he was excited to have some friends over and I felt as proud as any mother would. We realize that the road won't be smooth and we will have many more challenges to overcome, but I now know that I would rather have full hands than an empty heart.

Jennifer Distefano
Ottawa, Canada