D-DAY (The Day of Diagnosis)

…but names will never hurt me..

Well, it is official. Autism. No bells. No whistles. No "not otherwise specifieds." Just Autism. An official name to label some of the -ISMS that we have seen in our spectacularly unique little boy. The net effect? At least we don't have to preface our discussions with the obligatory "…we'll we don't have an official diagnosis yet, but…"

Amazingly and thankfully, this D-Day was an unsurprising and anticlimactic event. My, how far we have come. Over a year ago, when it became clear that this A-word was a real possibility, we felt overwhelmed by the great unknown. We feverously searched the Internet, bought books, called everyone we knew, and in a panicked frenzy gathered as much information as possible. We had conversations in the middle of the night discussing strengths, weaknesses, and the future. But, thanks to the many, many people who were there for us, from our Early Intervention providers, to other families of similar children, to our family and friends, we now feel so encouraged and empowered that the day of the official diagnosis provided to us nothing but a name. Not an end, not a beginning, just a name.

And onward we go!