When my Xavier was born we didn't notice him being that different. We just thought he wasn't as quick as others to learn things. Nothing wrong with that, everyone learns at their own pace. He was 3 months old when I found out I was pregnant with his sister. After she was born and started growing, we were able to see noticeable differences between the two. The biggest was when they both started saying words. She was speaking more clear and using more words than he was. We contacted Parents As Teachers to see if he just had a speech difficulty that would require some therapy. His testing with them was inconclusive and they recommended more thorough testing. Where we live they have a special education preschool program paid for by the state. We took him there and they had the Psychologist, Occupational Therapist, and Speech Therapist all evaluate him. I had begun to do my own research on what could be causing this difficulty. When Autism came up on a website I started looking into other signs and symptoms and saw a lot of what my little guy had. I called the preschool and discussed with them if they felt this could be a possibility. They were thinking the same thing after getting their evaluation results. Their recommendation was to take him to a neurologist for a more concrete diagnosis. We found a really good one and proceeded with the visit. He was able to see right away that Xavier had Autism, or as he put it more specifically Asperger's Syndrome, which is of the Autism Spectrum. I have people continue to say to me that they are sorry when I tell them that my son has this. I reply with a simple "I'm not." I tell them that it takes a special parent to have a child with Autism, and that God must have had enough faith in me to know that I could handle this challenge and guide my son through his life. I love my special guy and that will never change!

Melanie
Arnold, MO