We realized around the age of 12 months that Curtis was not like other children. He would not respond to his name or make any eye contact. He would spin the wheels on cars instead of rolling them. When we gave him a bag of letters to spell words he made patterns of the letters or laid them out in order. Curtis would not point, wave, and showed no inclination towards speaking.  When Curtis was diagnosed with Autism around the age of 2 years, his mother and I were not exactly sure where to turn for help. Coming to terms with the fact your son (or daughter) has autism is not easy. The developmental disorder is fraught with uncertainty from how your child will develop to how he got the disorder in the first place. Instincts tell us to blame, worry, and fix the problem. It's frustrating to discover the lack of real answers pertaining to autism.

What I really wanted was a projection. You say he is ranked here on the autism spectrum so does that mean he can have a career or make friends or is none of that going to happen? What I've found is that the progress and changes are unpredictable and changes happen fast. I've gone from wondering if he will have the ability to sort silverware as an adult to expecting him to become an engineer (he says artist). My advice to parents of autistic toddlers is expedite your grief over the diagnosis and get to work. Early intervention therapies have been instrumental in our son's progress and have allowed us to unlock his potential but they are not without red tape. If you feel there is a stigma attached to the autism label you're going to have to get over it for the sake of your child. There is simply no benefit to waiting. if you suspect your child has autism there are simple screenings which can confirm or deny the symptoms. If you have already been told by a specialty physician that your child has autism, it's time to get to work.

Greg, Dad

ADHD diagnosis
     Up until Curtis was about 5 years old, he had absolutely zero safety awareness.  He would run full speed into the street and had no regard for how far away from his adult companion he would go.  Despite countless hours of work by his in home support specialist, we were finding it impossible to get him to respond to the simple directions "stop, no, and wait."  I lived in constant fear that Curtis would jump into a body of water, run into a busy street, or fall off of a cliff before he entered kindergarten.  In addition to this fear for his safety, I was also concerned for his development aside from the common delays associated with Autism.  He seemed incapable of sitting for more than 3 minutes, which really compromised his fine motor development, as he could not sit long enough to learn how to hold a pencil, use scissors, and do puzzles.  And he would run around the house for hours on some days and even his most preferred activities couldn't grab his attention.  Again, his in home support spent countless hours using strategies to try to calm his body, but nothing worked for long.
     One day we were walking out of the Children's Museum and his hat flew off his head.  I turned around to pick it up and when I turned back around, Curtis was running full speed toward a busy Portland street and had no plans of stopping.  I ran, screaming, "Curtis, STOP!" but he just laughed and ran faster, thinking we were engaged in a game of chase.  Thankfully, I caught him about a foot from the street, but that was the day I knew he had to be tested for ADHD because his brain was not able to tell his body to stop.
     Once the results came back showing Curtis had ADHD combined type (hyperactivity and attention deficit), we had to face the tough decision whether or not to medicate.  Due to the extreme safety concerns, we decided to go for it.  We had to try 3 different medications before we found the right one for Curtis.  My advice to parents is not to take the first med you try if it has too many side effects.  Every kid is different.  The medication helped Curtis learn safety skills and his fine motor skills skyrocketed because his brain could finally slow down enough to work through those skills.
     Now we use meds to get him through the school day, but generally, he can maintain himself without them on weekends and vacations.  When we go to visit family or a birthday party where there is a lot of stimulation, we can rely on the meds to help Curtis control his body.  He is more successful in certain settings with it and with that success comes pride.  And he hasn't been "smashed up like a pancake" by a car (as he would put it.)

Laura, Mom