According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1 in 44 children will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) each year (CDC.gov). Never in our wildest dream, would we have ever thought our child, who seemed perfect at birth, would be that one. In May of 2018, our lives changed drastically.
As a mother, I always suspected something was "different” with David as he went from infancy to a toddler. Excessive crying, lack of speech, various sensitivities, and delayed developmental milestones led me to do my own research. Every behavior (or lack thereof), pointed to ASD. After stints with Early Childhood Intervention as well as private speech and occupational therapy, things still did not improve as much as we had hoped.
We finally went through the process to seek a medical diagnosis for ASD. At only 3 years old, our precious David had been through a plethora of changes and frustration with daycares, therapies, and well…life! It wasn’t until we began full time Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, that we started to see improvement.
With the ever-changing dynamics of this world, we were blessed to receive therapy with the same amazing team for two and a half years. His Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) became a part of our village, our family. Because of their heart’s desire to see him succeed, David has come a long way. Although still non-verbal, he loves going to school, riding the bus, follows simple commands, and navigates his assisted communication device independently. He excels in basic math and loves puzzles. He’s learned life skills that I know he would not have without the amazing work of his therapists. Today, David has transitioned to a new ABA center and continues to flourish with the help of his BCBA and extended team of therapist.
While there is no cure for ASD, various trends and methods to treat symptoms have emerged over the last several years. As any desperate parent, we’ve explored those options only to be out of thousands of dollars on supplements, tests and lab results, doctor’s visits, as well as a whole lot of disappointment, more heartache, and sadly some regression. Yes, alternative methods do work, and our heart rejoices with the family of every successful story behind those methods. However, for our family, the only saving and consistent grace for David has been ABA therapy. For that we are grateful; grateful for the living breathing angels who patiently, gracefully, and lovingly work with him every day.
At the heart of The Different Peace is a desire that more families will be connected with gifted and loving BCBAs and RBTs to experience the same level of success (and better) with ABA therapy. This journey has taught us that people and life's experiences cross our paths for a moment in time. Lean not unto your own understanding and accept the gifts as they come.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds…” Philippians 4:7
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