When Avery was 3 he was having what we thought were seizures and we were told he had a whopping speech delay. After a week at the Mayo Clinic seizures were ruled out and we went home with a diagnoses of Tourettes Syndrome and an unspecified delay. After years of specialists, speech therapists, Occupational therapists, psychologists etc...Avery has a diagnoses of being on the Autism Spectrum and thanks to all the therapies he can now carry on a conversation, wait his turn, most of the time he can refrain from blurting things out before asked :) Anyway. Knowing Avery you may just think he is a bit quirky but the reality is he struggles, he struggles every day. Constantly thinking about what he should and shouldn't say out loud, what is appropriate conversation for public, getting frustrated with not knowing what someone is talking about, getting mad at himself for not doing something properly, holding in his anger when he is upset, keeping his hands to himself, trying to navigate the world of teasing and sarcasm, trying to explain to people why he has a limited number of foods and how no he isn't just being stubbord. Even after all that he is the sweetest boy I know and I am so proud of the progress he continues to make every day.

Mallory has been diagnosed with ADHD in the past and her doctor has just recently suggested she be evaluated to see if she is also on the Autism Spectrum. If you know Mallory than you know she has NO problem communicating :) She has a hard time with rules, with knowing her place, and not understanding why she can't tell her dad or other adults what to do, She has many sensory issues. Mallory has a VERY limited amount of foods she will eat do to texture, flavor, the way it looks etc. She does the duck and cover if something is too loud and startles her (yes even in public). Things that smell strongly, are too loud or too bright make her instantly angry. She has an off the charts IQ and has trouble with people expecting more of her because she is so smart. She gets very overwhelmed with life. She is the most amazing artist I know and would never be mean or hurt any person or animal on purpose.

Please consider donating to show my kids that you support them and other people like them that struggle daily living with Autism.

THANK YOU!