Diagnosis

In June of 2022, Chance, Myers and I drove to Simpsonville, South Carolina. Why, you might ask? Where in the world is Simpsonville? 

Well, let's back up a minute. Remember in my last post how I said Myers was born on March 5, 2019? I've skipped a lot of time taking you to 2022, so let's fill in some gaps. Myers was a great baby. He was so sweet and loving, and still very much is. He was delayed with his milestones, but nothing that worried me too much. We did go to the doctor for something small, and while visiting with the on call physician (who we had never met), we were told that Myers could potentially qualify for speech therapy. Keep in mind, he was still very little. I know boys are often delayed in speech, and I thought he'd be just fine, but I went ahead and looked into speech because, well if it's being offered and it's free, why not? We got Myers a speech therapist but then Covid hit. She was trying to do virtual speech lessons with a one year old. It wasn't very productive! While receiving speech (which was provided to us through BabyNet), we were told Myers might also qualify for occupational therapy since he was a little delayed in his walking too. Again, if free, why not? I wasn't worried, but I am all about resources, strategies, etc., so we got him started with OT. 

After about a year of these therapies, there were some conversations between his therapists and myself, as well as Myers' early interventionist. I still had no concerns, but I like to gather as much information as I can, and so I agreed to complete a few assessments. I completed two at home, one of which was the M-Chat. Both assessments had Myers "at risk" for autism. This is when the ball really started rolling. I put Myers on the waitlist for the MUSC autism screening. By the way, we are still on that waitlist. Ridiculous. Luckily, God brought someone into my life that helped us bypass MUSC. 

At the park near our house one summer morning, Myers and I were playing. There were two other dads there with one child each. A father approached me to make small talk. I brought up my observation that his son and Myers were both quiet (as in they didn't approach others to play and they kind of did their own thing). Dad immediately opened up that his son had just been diagnosed with autism. He and his wife had driven to Simpsonville to see a psychologist, Dr. Laurie Dickson-Gillespie.

What do you think happened next? I made a phone call. Dr. Gillespie called me back almost immediately. I told her about Myers (now three) and she said she'd get us in as quickly as she could-that Myers' age was her passion. That's why Chance and I took Myers to Simpsonville. We made a big trip out of it actually, and we got big news on that trip; her observations and diagnosis gave us some very valuable information. 

On June 30, Myers was diagnosed with autism. The doctor said he was "high functioning" and if it were categorized the same as it used to be, she would say "Aspergers." With this news, we drove to DC for a week of vacation, but I immediately started making calls. The doctor in Simpsonville wanted us to see a functional medicine doctor and to start ABA therapy, and I was on board to make it happen. 

Chance and I both were happy to have a diagnosis. We were not upset or worried or any of those things. We maybe even felt relieved to know a little more about why Myers did certain things, or acted certain ways. It was a way to arm ourselves, to be better prepared for what was to come. We enjoyed our vacation in DC, and came home ready to figure out what to do next.

One month after Dr. Gillespie's diagnosis, Myers and I drove to Winston Salem, North Carolina to see the functional medicine doctor she had recommended. There are none in SC that specialize in autism. We met Dr. Anne Hines on July 27. She observed Myers and asked me tons of questions...90 mins worth. Her conclusion was that Chance's Crohn's and my time in China (built up toxins stored in my fat tissue) contributed to some of Myers' imbalances which could have contributed to his autism. I told you both of our back stories would play a part in this!! She ordered a hair analysis, blood work and labs for stool samples and urine samples. She said she wanted us to go gluten, dairy and soy free and for Myers to start with magnesium lotion and cod liver oil. These would all be huge changes, but Chance and I were on board, and so with our new knowledge, we set forth on a journey to helping our sweet boy navigate his world.