Our daughter, Lauren Grace, was born on November 16, 2004...  ten fingers, ten toes, bright eyes and healthy.  Tipping the scale at 8'8...  ironically the exact same weight as her Mama, 27 years before.  She was the second child to bless our home, and while she was a surprise...  she made our family complete.  Her sister, only 16 months older, responded with extreme interest and a lack thereof, depending on the day. 

As Lauren developed, it was clear she was going to be our over-achiever... turning over at just a few weeks old, sitting up earlier than most, saying one and two word sentences when others her age simply babbled.  Then, as though turning the page in a novel, our bright, shining star changed.  She began to lose language, she cried and became distressed over normal, routine activities.  She began avoiding eye contact and over time wanted less interaction with our family.  She was most content on her own, where repetitive play was a peaceful respite to the 'unexpected'.

"Your Daughter Has Autism"...  you can never be prepared to hear those words.  Although I knew, intuitively as a Mother, that she was 'different'...  I wasn't ready to deal with the reality that my perfect little girl, only 23 months at the time of diagnosis, wasn't seen as perfectly normal by others.  What do we do now?  How do we 'fix' it?  We immediately began intervention, meeting wonderful and dedicated professionals along the way who have helped Lauren to develop skills that most children acquire naturally. 

Now, as we near her fifth birthday, many things have changed and many have remained the same.  Lauren is able to communicate her needs and desires through the use of PECS.  She speaks words intermittently, babbles in her own language non-stop and sings many of her favorite songs, word for word.  She demonstrates a natural talent on the piano and is smart as a whip.  Her headstrong, no-nonsense personality is a source of laughter and frustration.  I'm occasionally asked, what is it like to have an autistic child?  I always answer by saying, she isn't autistic.... she has autism.  The disability doesn't define her, it's part of who she is.  She is a wonderful person, with talents to discover, smiles and hugs to bestow on those she feels are worthy, laughter to invoke and contributions to make. 

The revenue generated from the sales of this website are used to fund the treatment plan specifically designed for Lauren; which includes Speech, Occupational Therapy, ABA Instruction, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, Music Therapy and Life Skills Development.