Devin and I have been married almost 10 years this June and have 3 beautiful kids. Our boys, Jackson 8, and Trenton 4 are neuro typical children. Meaning, there is no delay in development.
Autism effects 1 in 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls. It is 5 times more common in boys than in girls. How did this happen to us? I did ask myself that quite a bit. What did I do wrong? Was it that Tylenol I took for that headache? Or that occasional Coke I drank? I know I was grasping at straws but I just didn't understand how I could have a girl on the spectrum. Shouldn't one of my boys been diagnosed? It is 5 times more common. That was my way of thinking 6 months ago after we got the diagnoses. Now I am no longer consumed with why her, why us, and what did I do wrong. I think it is human nature to ask those questions when something in life comes up that is unexpected. Leaving that office I had already felt defeated. There is NO cure. Only HOPE. I started googling nonstop trying to find a story on Autism recovery, specifically girls. I quickly realized that there is not enough information on girls on the spectrum. Clinical trials of new medicines or therapies are usually a boy only thing. How is that fair to the 1 in 252? Its not.
Devin and I always are searching new therapies, studies, and trials. We came across a study that talked about Gut Microbes being linked to Autismlike symptoms in mice. (http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2013/12/gut-microbes-linked-autismlike-symptoms-mice)
That caught my attention immediately because Payton always seemed to have tummy issues. Since she cannot communicate we don't know if she hurts or is in pain when she is crying. We just have to guess. Her stools have always been "different" than what our other two kids are. So that got our wheels turning. What if it is something bigger than just a neurological disorder? What if she has underlying issues that are hindering her ability to communicate and focus? So then we dug more and know that there are hundreds of doctors in the United States that run tests to discover the issues our children may have but cannot tell us. This is breaking away from the typical "doctor" and searching for alternative medicine. Probiodics have been proven to be beneficial to help promote good bacteria in the gut, hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been proven in different children to be a beneficial tool as well. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3472266/)
Now on to the most controversial topic in the Autism community, vaccines. First I would like to say that yes I think vaccines are very important, I do believe they played a HUGE factor with our daughters regression but I don't think it was the single thing that caused her Autism. After reading this (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225162231.htm), I am so anxious to see if Payton does have dangerously high toxic metals in her blood stream. Maybe her body couldn't handle all of the vaccines she received when she turned 1. Maybe she was already damaged and it caused her to go into a complete regression. Although we will never know exactly what caused her Autism, we will soon know everything we can medically about how her body is functioning and what she is lacking to get her to the best place she can be so she can continue learning.
Everyone who has donated has a part of my heart in this journey because without amazing friends and family, this wouldn't be possible.
We are getting her the best doctor, check her our here
(http://www.ageofautism.com/2011/01/dr-julie-buckley-on-treating-underlying-medical-conditions-of-autism.html) Please read about her! She is so brilliant and I think because of her personal experience she will do everything in her power to help Payton lead the best life possible. So thank you, Thank you all for contributing to our daughters fund.
Last, but not least, When Payton started the most recommended therapy, A.B.A, we were anxious and praying to see some results. We needed to break the barrier and enter our daughters alternate world and let her know we were there. We happened to get one of the BEST in the business. Within weeks our daughter turned when a noise was made, when door opened, when the T.V. turned on. She finally left her little world for seconds to figure out what was going on in ours. The doctor who diagnosed her told us that with her severity she might not ever talk. Ugh those words still crush my soul. A few months ago Payton said her first word, GO! For awhile she said it randomly, then she would say it after we would say, Ready, set.... GO! Now she is using it in context. When she is done with therapy she will grab my hand and tell me go! She is adding words slowly and mostly for a salty pretzel or a m&m, but she is following vocal cues and again that is huge. She is showing that doctor that Autism will not define who she is. We are on a long journey, a road that unfortunately is traveled quite a bit, but we will not stop. Knowledge is power. We will do everything we can to help her. If by chance we don't see any improvement, then at least we tried EVERYTHING we knew about to help her be the best she can be. We love this girl more than words can ever express. She has completed this family. She has already taught us more than I could of imagined. Autism will not define her.
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