By Rachelle Alston

When I was pregnant with my son I felt I did everything "right."  No caffeine, lots of sleep, health food and every vitamin the naturopath told me my child needed. Landon was born a week late at a healthy 7.7 pounds.

He hit milestones as he should, even walking by his first birthday. But yet something was not quite right.  He never said “momma” or “dada.” There were no long stares at me or turning to see what a loud noise was.  Everyone said I had the model child.  He never cried and he could entertain himself as long as I would let him.  They all said, "Boys talk later then girls.”

They did not see the other side of my son.  Landon was so frustrated in his own skin he would bang his head on any hard surface he could find. He displayed loud vocal stimming and would isolate from his family.  We were just as frustrated as we did not know what he needed or how to help him.

Landon, Rachelle, Erik and Kaylie

At 18 months we were referred to a birth-to-three program and there our journey began.  This was the first time we had heard the word Autism from a physician.

Through occupational  therapy, Landon began to explore his sensory system and work on his eye contact.   Our insurance allowed only one hour per week. We also had speech therapy one time per week, but at such a young age it was not very effective in our household.  Our "play time" at home turned into therapy.  I purged our house of the toys we had and purchased all autism-friendly toys.  But I knew we needed more.

Unfortunately, our insurance covers only 10 neurological visits per calendar year.  With two visits a week, this coverage was gone quickly.  We were now paying $70 a session.  I also signed us up for a peer play group, but the chaos within the class made the recovery afterward not worth it.  During this time, I put my son on the waiting list for his official diagnosis.  Right before Landon's second birthday we got our call that it was our turn for his assessment.  $1,600 later we received his PDD-NOS (Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified) diagnosis.

While trying to figure out where we go next, the doctor who saw us gave us a tip that a local university was running a study with Autistic children.  This would provide Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy free of charge for my child.  You better believe I sent my first email that night.  My second and third were sent very shortly after.  We received an email back letting us know that Landon was on the list for the study.

Half the children were to remain on the therapies they were already doing at home.  The other half received ABA therapies.  The goal is to show educators that early intervention reduces the amount of assistance a child will need as they enter kindergarten and beyond.

I still remember the day that I received the call that Landon had been accepted into their 17- hour-a-week ABA program/Blended Preschool.  Tears of joy fell for days.  Then we learned that we had to live within a particular school district to access these services after Landon turned 4 years old.  So we made the decision to sell our house and move to the city.

Flash forward two years and I now have an almost 5-year-old boy who mastered PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System). He has about 60 words and echoes EVERYTHING.  He is affectionate with hugs and kisses to anyone who will let him.  He knows some colors, shapes, and can count to 20.  He does not know his name yet and is unable to answer a direct question, but we are getting there.

This is where WAAA comes in. Additional ABA therapy is the next step on our journey to unlocking all of Landon's strengths. But our insurance caps behavior therapy at $2,000 for a lifetime. Already, this amount was used up during Landon’s diagnosis process.

The team at WAAA is helping me draft letters to my insurance to have the coverage extended on our plan.  I have high hopes for what this amazing team can do.  In the meantime, I am involving my family in the wonderful activities that WAAA plans for our community (A Day out for Autism, Tumble for Autism, and Gift of Time are a few).

Some days it feels like I have lived a lifetime by 9 a.m., but I know that with support from WAAA, my husband, daughter, friends and extended family, we can all be the best team that my special little guy needs to succeed.  Landon's life has just begun.