April is Autism Awareness Month

April is a special month. Not only are Grant and Ashlyn's birthdays in April but it is Autism Awareness Month. Grant was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism at the age of 4. He may look normal to most but he is delayed in speech and social skills with others. He is a sweet, loving, and lots of fun. As parents we have been hopeful that over time he will overcome the speech and be more social as he gets older. I feel so blessed that there is more awareness about kids with special needs and the schools have been great. Kids are not ignored or seperated from the general education students. They put these kids in the normal classroom as much as they can and teach the normal kids to be kind and treat them the same way they would for any of the other students. Grant has had great friends through it all since he started in the PPCD program at the age of 3. He's also had the best teachers we could ever imagine! Being a parent to a child with special needs has been challenging but also rewarding. I have a special place in my heart for kids with special needs not just the autistic ones. If you want to find out more about autism you can check out http://www.autismspeaks.org/

I love you, Grant! You are a blessing in our lives and I love having you in our family. You hold a special place in my heart and I am so proud of your accomplishments. I look forward to watching you grow more and learn more.