The tears are flowing already and I haven't written anything yet! My life, also known as Madison, is 2 and she was diagnosed with Autism 5 months ago. As a mother, I knew something was wrong when she was about 18 months. She had a vocabulary of 6-8 words around 13 months but by 18 months she was nonverbal. She had her regular checkup and at that appointment I was given the MCHAT checklist. There were red flags but I was in total denial. We were referred to the Audiologist for a hearing screening which she passed. We went back to see her Pediatrician and she wrote the referral for early intervention services. Still, in denial, even after countless hours of research, I chose to put off birth to 3 services. The dreadful 'wait and see' tactic. If only I knew then, what I know now. When I noticed her tantrums and the fact that she was nearly 2.5 and still nonverbal, I knew it was time I got her some help. In addition to being nonverbal, she was terrified around people other than me. She would cover her ears and close her eyes for hours at a time. She would flap her arms, flick the light switches on and off, eat toilet paper when she could get to it but refused all edible foods. Public meltdowns to the extreme! I knew then, that we needed an intervention. I finally called birth to 3. She was diagnosed with Autism 3 weeks later after the MCHAT and ADOS. Fast forward now, 5 months later and she is doing exceptionally well! She has a vocabulary of over 200 words. No spontaneous language yet but she imitates and labels. We are working closely with the BCBA on her social anxiety and the other behaviors. She will be 3 soon. Her first PPT went well. I'm looking forward to her transition into preschool. I think she was do really well. At first I didn\t think I could do this but she is my everything so I have decided to do everything I can to advocate for her to have the best future possible. Autism makes life extremely difficult at times but she's worth every minute of it. For every breakdown, we've had a breakthrough.