I noticed the red flags when Morgan was less than a year old. I'd bring up her delays to our doctor who would tell me to give it time. Finally, we were referred to specialists who observed Morgan play, then decided that she needed speech and occupational therapy. When Morgan was 20 months old, she was tested and diagnosed as on the autism spectrum. While I had already suspected autism, the official diagnosis was devastating to hear as a parent, because you grieve for the normal child you have lost. But I did not allow that grief to consume me, and we continued with all the therapies. We also did all we could for her outside of therapy, helping her to live to her true potential. Fast forward several years and Morgan is 4 1/2 and is in preschool with typical and special needs children. She speaks in full sentences and is quite capable of communicating her needs. She is of course not like the other four year olds that she is around, but she is doing exceptionally well. She is smart and I hope that she can excel in school. I do grieve for the child she could have been without autism, but I am dedicated to helping her be the beautiful girl she was meant to be. Raising her will truly be an adventure on the autism spectrum.