Just Another Autistic Kid, But This One's Mine

   The "Help Me Grow" coordinator wanted to know when we would like to get an official diagnosis for Kansas.  The harsh reality of admitting it was still too much for my husband and I.  We just kept putting it off.  Finally we agreed to get this done and we scheduled Kansas for an evaluation with a group of doctors from Ohio State University.  They were holding an all day clinic in Athens, Ohio.

   Kris , Kansas and I had to be there early in the morning and of course living out in nowhere we again had to drive a couple of hours.  Kansas was put through many tests that included playing with toys, reacting to sounds, and physical analysis.

   During the lunch break, we went into a little room that happened to have many drawers.  He couldn't stand it.  Instead of eating he chose to pull out each drawer to the same exact length.  He even stood there and lined them all up by looking across the top of each drawer.  I noticed that no one else sitting in the room thought this behavior was strange.  They were all there for the same reasons we were.  They were questioning their own child's development.  Why is this happening to our children?  Why is it so prevalent in our area.  We live near the Ohio river and I do wonder if that has something to do with it.  Is it in the water?  Is it in the air?  Will we ever know?

   We were asked many questions and by the end of the day we were all three exhausted.  About a week later I received a packet in the mail with the very first paper reading in bold letters:

Diagnosis: Autism and Global Development Delay

   I just sat down and cried.  I guess it was the finality of it.  There was no longer a question.  My son had autism.