Hope

Mason has come so far in his short three years of life.

Around 12 months of age Mason began to talk, with a vocabulary consisting of 4 words. At 15 months those words disappeared and Mason became silent. At that time we started to watch Mason deteriorate, completely slipping out of our world and into his own. Mason stopped responding to his name, he stopped making eye contact with others, he would sit on the floor and play by himself, he didn't interact with anyone. He became unaware of his surroundings. Mason stopped smiling and laughing. It was difficult as parents to watch our sweet little baby slip away and we couldn't do anything about it. Mason's behaviors worsened with time, he began flapping his hands and spinning himself in circles, he stopped playing with his toys, he would throw himself on the floor screaming and biting his hands. Everyday he seemed to slip away even more, and still there was nothing we could do. Therapy began for Mason at 16 months of age and with time we started to see progression. After about 4 months of therapy, Mason said his first word, "cow" while playing with his animals. It was the sweetest little "cow" we had ever heard.

From that day forward we have seen incredible progress in Mason. One of the biggest contributors to Mason's progress is the sacrifice our family made by moving up to Oregon for more extensive services. All the things a typical child can learn on their own can slowly be taught to a child with autism, one concept at a time and in very small steps. We are grateful that Mason is such a hard worker, so smart and eager to learn. Being diagnosed so young, Mason has the ability to learn more rapidly and be better prepared for a brighter future!! The progress he is making is incredible and truly a miracle!!

Thank you for being a part of this journey with us and a part of Mason's life.

There is hope for Mason!!