Maddie's Story

October 20, 2011
By Michael and Leslie

Four years ago, my husband I were blessed with boy-girl twins! We were thrilled as we were having problems getting pregnant after our first child. Everything was perfect - as perfect and chaotic as newborn twins can be - until Maddie was 9 months old. She had been reaching her milestones, mostly ahead of her twin brother, Brady. She had started rolling over at 6 months, but at 9 months, she stopped. At a year, she stopped babbling and didn't crawl until she was 15 months old. We were immediately put in touch with an early intervention specialist and a neurologist. After numerous tests, Maddie was undiagnosed and we were told she was just delayed. We knew something wasn't quite right as her twin brother continued to thrive while Maddie slowly began to isolate herself. She finally started walking a few months after she turned 3. At that point, she was still completely non-verbal.

Last week, at the age of 4, Maddie was finally diagnosed with "moderate autism." She still eats baby food, which is spoon fed to her, and has yet to ever speak the words "Mommy & Daddy." Fortunately, we knew this day was coming and we love her nonetheless. We will continue to advocate, educate and donate until the day we die. Maddie is happy and healthy, and that's all we can ask for as her parents. We have amazing family and friends who have all vowed to stand behind us as we continue Maddie's journey through life. We are so grateful for all of their support, as well as the assistance from charities and organizations. We promise to continue to do our part as we learn to adjust to life with a diagnoses of autism.