Thank God For Caitlin...

I thank God Caitlin was diagnosed with autism 13 years ago. There was not all the hype there is now. We did not have the array of "cures" that parent's now have to deal with.
When Caitlin was diagnosed in August of 1993, all that was around was the Autism Research Institute with Dr. Rimland. We were instructed to give her B6 and Magnesium and DMG. We tried this, because we were told she would speak soon after beginning these supplements.
6 months into it, no words, no behavior changes. We implemented the GFCF diet. Caitlin was miserable. She stopped drinking for fear we added something to her drink. We got her cues and stopped all the addidtives.

Caitlin always did well at school. She had her issues with aggression and doing things her way, but she always had good marks. She has never not wanted to go to school.
Through Caitlin we learned how to get her interests met at her ARD's. We learned how to manage her IEP's through our school district. We learned how to work well with these educator's. We respected them as much as they respected us and Caitlin.

Caitlin has taught us that autism is not sad. She is a happy 15 year old who loves school and football games. She is a very good student who does her homework and gets to classes and therapy on time. She is never late.
She does not obsess over boys and clothes. She does not care about hair, except she likes it long and in a ponytail. She does not gossip or treat anyone in a negative manner. She is a model student and daughter.

Because of Caitlin, all the other children in our home were treated with the same respect. We were prepared for what autism would mean with them. They have their own personalities. They are all well-adjusted and happy kids. I give all the credit to Caitlin for helping us in helping all the children that followed her in our house.