A Long Road Ahead

This past Thursday, I took Gatlin to a developmental pediatrician. He was diagnosed with a mild form of autism P.D.D. (pervasive developmental disorder) or possibly Asperger's Syndrome. It was not a surprise to us at all. Matt and I have been concerned about the boys for awhile now and deep down we both knew that something wasn't right. Gabriel hasn't been officially diagnosed but we are pretty sure he has some form of autism too. His appointment is on the 16th of this month. They will be 3 in July and they don't speak a word. The don't have that "twin connection" people share with me about their twins. They are often found doing their own repetitive thing: opening/closing doors, running back and forth, jumping constantly. Gabriel loves to line things up and look at them from different angles. His favorite things to play with are: Matt's hair gel, the windex, and mouthwash. He will line them up and look at them over and over and over. If you take them away, he gets upset. They don't always respond to their names and they don't always make eye contact. These are all signs of autism. But on the flip side to that they both love to cuddle and will reach up to be held. They don't hurt themselves or others. They don't have trouble sleeping and they can feed themselves really well. They communicate with us in their own way and have learned some sign language. This is all a plus. They have been going to speech and occupational therapy and in August they will be going to preschool with Kaia. I am looking forward to this because I know the more intervention we give them the better. There have been many sleepless and late nights for me. I have spent hours reading and trying to learn everything I can about autism. I feel a bit of relief now. I am just glad to finally have an answer. Now as a family, we can take the next step with our boys and do whatever it takes to help them. I know it is going to be a long road but I am willing to take the walk.