It was clear he didn’t enjoy the part of his job that entailed

Little Girl Lost in the Darkness

She started to spin, unfurling her arms like a pelican and mimicking the screeching death cries of our old, discarded microwave now residing in the Leon County landfill.

To many parents, this behavior appears normal. All little kids spin. They fill our perfectly blissful weekend newspaper reading silences with chirpy Willy Wonka beeps canada goose uk black friday and clickity Dr. Seuss clacks. Most pretend to be birds, planes or Supermen, and they wave their hands in canada goose outlet sale the air like lucky lotto winners at a canada goose outlet jackets revival or a mall Santa after the iron gates go down.

But what if the microwave was thrown out five months ago?Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can be a challenge, particularly with very young children. Many of the criteria required for diagnosis canada Canada Goose sale goose outlet nyc are activities that present in typically developing children things like spinning in circles, perfectly aligning Lighting McQueen and Mater toys on the floor, throwing life or death tantrums and preferring specific toys to others.

Medical professionals do not usually diagnose a child with autism until age 3, but scientific research shows clearly that the earlier a child receives intervention, the greater the prognosis for his or her future. Ben Simon.

Dr. Simon was recommended to https://www.bamschaatsteam.nl us for his extensive Canada Goose Coats On Sale experience with young children facing behavioral challenges. I was optimistic that he would be Canada Goose Outlet able canada goose outlet online uk to offer some insights that would help unravel the perplexing mystery of my very own two year old Pandora.

I dropped the canada goose jacket outlet tattered copy of Southern Living I’d been mindlessly thumbing, and plucked The Very Hungry canada goose outlet reviews Caterpillar out of my handbag.

“Annabelle, would you like to read a story with mommy?” It was canada goose factory outlet her favorite. She loved recounting all of the eccentrically random foods the caterpillar would devour, often stopping to make a sour face when the pickle was mentioned.

I stared canada goose outlet new york city into the slate eyes of my lovely daughter, still Canada Goose online as a statue. She ran her pale reedy fingers over the nubby surface of a shabby stuffed gray elephant, entranced in a Dora the Explorer episode on her iPad.

Her faraway glance never returned my gaze.

She didn’t even acknowledge my words.”Hi, Annabelle” said Dr. Simon, cheerily.

Throughout cheap canada goose his exam, he observed her carefully, and gently attempted to engage her as much as she would allow.

I saw his concern before I ventured to voice my own.

He listened patiently through my rambling account of Annabelle’s short medical history. I spoke of well child checks with our first pediatrician in Virginia. Annabelle met her milestones on time, although she did have throw down fits, mercurial moods, sleep difficulties, buy canada goose jacket cheap and she preferred to play alone.

I recalled a conversation about autism with her first pediatrician the previous year. official canada goose outlet My concerns at the time centered on a few incidents of non Metallica induced head banging, and her continual scalping of three stuffed animals; all of which were fluffy lavender rabbits. With the determination of an athlete training for the Olympics, Annabelle relentlessly plucked their fur until they became a trio of balding bunnies.

“She’s not autistic. She’s hitting her canada goose outlet store uk milestones! Some kids just do weird things and beat their heads on the wall. My daughter did it, and she’s a social butterfly now,” said Annabelle’s first pediatrician.

The doctor’s words gave me a reprieve. canada goose outlet By the flip of her switch, those flashing blue lights in the rear view mirror of my mind suddenly settled into pitch black darkness.

“I believe she does have autism,” he said.

His eyes were kind and sympathetic. It was clear he didn’t enjoy the part of his job that entailed breaking news uk canada goose outlet of crippling childhood disorders to disarmed parents like me. He retreated into his office to gather information about Early Steps and the canada goose FSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities.

“There are some good resources here in Tallahassee. We will be able to get Annabelle the support she needs,” he said. He scrawled a few phone numbers on canada goose outlet online a business card and handed over a glossy, blue and green brochure.