"One word frees us all of the weight and pain of life. That word is Love."
                                         -Sophocles

Our son, Louie, was born on Father's Day in 2005. The labor went smooth and easy. The only concern on this day was the occasional heart-beat slow down after the epidural. Once he was born the doctor unwrapped the umbilical chord that was suffocating his neck and that explained his slow hear-beat.

For the first year of his life he met all fine and gross motor development milestones. He didn't have any words and we believed that to be normal since he was learning two languages. Louie was 18 months when we moved to Mexico, and returned 12 months later. During that lapse in Mexico, Louie went through a series of sicknesses. The suspected source of sickness was the germs of the new country. He started out by having parasites in his stomach, then colds & flus, and finally rota-virus (the scariest time of all). We were able to pay out of pocket for his medical expenses. Luckily, we had savings to pay a highly-recommended doctor.

After hearing the word "autism", we went to Louie's pediatrician for a referral. The wait time was six months, but we got on the "last-minute cancellation" list. Two weeks later we were called to come in the next morning. 

The next morning Louie was diagnosed with autism and we were given information on Regional Center and referrals on how to face the school district. We already had an appointment for an IEP (individual education plan) meeting for a couple months later, meanwhile, we went to conferences and seminars to prepare.

Six months later we decided to move. We looked for one of the best cities to live in with children with special needs and moved in January 2009. Our son had merely 20 words in January and six months later accumulated over 700 words. Talk about accuracy and progress. Our Regional Center services transfered although we hadn't received anything yet, but our services were given to us immediately after our move.

Throughout this time we developed our own knowlegde about our son to increase his abilities and to give each other hope. We read books, watched seminars, joined parent support groups, attended conferences, etc.

Looking back, we see some difficult times for our son. As parents it is heartbreaking setting unrealistic expectations to a child that is already facing challenges. Once we could take care of his sensory issues and really provide him what he needed specifically, did we begin to meet our son's true personality.

Our son has had ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) Therapy with a remarkable company, Love to Learn. He has grown and learned to use the potty, accept no, diminish tantrums, and obey. Even though he is not ready to be mainstreamed, he is part of a phenomenal school system that encourages his development everyday. However, parents do have to pick their schools and teachers. We did rotate a couple of interventionists until we found the right one for our son. And we did move move twice within one year to make sure our son attends a structured and recognized school. It takes advocates to raise a child with a disability, not parents.