About 3 weeks ago, I brought my son Logan who is 2.5 years old to the neurologist for a routine exam for cyclic vomiting syndrome w/ migraines. I never imagined leaving the office with a diagnosis of PDD-NOS. Our story started when Logan was 12 months. He had a normal checkup and we noticed he wasn't hitting all of his milestones but had been up until this visit. He walked on the later side of 16 months and his language didn't develop. We were referred to the birth to three system and began therapy. He became fascinated with matchbox cars and just about anything that has wheels. He moves them back and forth and stims of the wheels. He recently started side gazing to the point where he runs into things constantly. He enjoys rough play and shows no fear when he is in his comfort zone. He will only eat a handful of things and no 2 days are the same between his meltdowns and frustration over others not understanding what he is saying, even though we keep his routine consistent. With all this said he is extremely bright. He knows his body parts, colors, numbers, and letters. He attends a local play group 5 days a week and has play and speech therapy 4x a week. He has made some progress and can now say a handful of words! He is sweet, loving, and very compassionate and as hard as it is sometimes I wouldn't change who my son is for anything. The timing of his diagnosis is difficult however as we just welcomed our daughter into this world 3 months ago. My fear for Ava is that one day she will share the same diagnosis as her brother. As difficult as the worrying is, only time will tell and that's something my husband and I are in the process of coping with. Having a child with special needs is difficult but it is so rewarding in so many ways.

Amanda Behuniak
Thomaston, CT