I gave birth to Isaac Nathaniel when I was in my 40’s after years of failed IVF and just trying to get pregnant. He was born a micropreemie at 25 weeks and on the ventilator in the hospital for almost 11 months. We finally came home on February 25, 2015 on a home ventilator and a G-tube for feeding, receiving 24/7 care from nurses. I am an educator by profession but decided to devote my time right now in taking care of my son. When we were almost at the end of our journey on the ventilator and tracheostomy, we noticed that aside from being delayed with his milestones he was also showing signs of being on the spectrum. We took him to THINK Neurology and even before the doctor told us about his diagnosis I knew in my heart of hearts that he was special. It didn’t change the fact that he was still our son. We found out about applied behavioral analysis (ABA) and how it could potentially help him with his behavior and issues. Our long term goal is for him to be independent and be able to contribute to his community in the future. Early diagnosis is very important. Because of his other medical challenges, it was very difficult to really pinpoint the underlying reason for what he was showing us.

The purpose of my blog is to share and maybe in a small way help out other parents who are going through or are about to go through a similar situation. If you are still reading up to this part, I am grateful.