I first suspected Autism around the time my son turned 2 years old. He seemed behind in his verbal communication, having very few words in his vocabulary. He then regressed and didn't talk at all, but rather made grunting sounds and "uh, ah" noises. He had other "quirks" in his behaviors that lead me to believe he may have autism. Although it seemed no one else felt this to be the problem, we had him tested and he was diagnosed just before he turned 3 with mild autism. We enrolled him in an integrated preschool through the local school district where he met with a speech therapist once a week. Within months, we saw vast improvement in his speech and one year later, though his speech is robotic and monotone, his vocabulary is the same as a "normal" 4 year old.. Darin has taught me so much about God through this experience. In those early months I would think, "it would be so much easier if you'd just talk to me!" Then it struck me that is exactly what God wants from us -- for us to talk to Him. A song I knew from my childhood I would sing to Darin. "There really ought to be a sign upon my heart 'Don't judge me if there's an unfinished part' because I'll be perfect just according to His plan, fashioned by the Master's loving hand." What a fitting song for my perfect little man! At 4 years old, Darin has an infectious smile that lights up his eyes, a fantastic brain for memorizing, and is a joy to those who spend time with him.

Megan Lafferty
Akron, OH