Autism? What next? The first steps...

The day of Andrew's diagnosis, I looked up so much information on the Internet!!

The diet:
I decided to start him on a Gluten Free and Casein free diet. I started giving him rice milk and thank God he liked it. Within two weeks, we started seeing changes in Andrew. He would turn his head towards us when we called him and we start smiling on occasions. He has been on the diet for two years now and I strongly believe that it is helping him a lot.

A structured preschool:
At the time, Andrew would stay home with a family member during the day because we could not afford daycare for him. As soon as Andrew was diagnosed I identified a school in our community that was especially designed for children with disabilities, but at the same time, had typically developing children so that they would serve as models. Two months later, Andrew was able to start full time at that school. We received a scholarship because we could not afford the price of the center. Andrew's teachers were amazing women who not only loved him, but they also believed he could reach the stars. With his teachers, Andrew progressed rapidly:
-he now could sit at the table
-he now could eat with a spoon
-he now could drink from an open cup
-he now could walk up the stairs
-he now could sign for "more" and "milk".

For the first time in six months, I had hope.