Our Journey to the Answer

This post is super long so I understand if you never make it to the end.

It was 5 years ago when we were told Daniel wasn't where he should be, socially, and with his motor skills. However laws prevented teachers from telling what I should do in terms of getting help.They didn't even suggest I should talk to a doctor, nothing. A year went by with me thinking He is how he is and there is nothing I can do, the pediatrician said he would catch up, that every child is different( isn't that what we always hear, don't compare your child to others). Now he is first grade, grandmas are noticing the way he moves isn't normal, we didn't see it because it happened so gradually. He was even making progress with hand writing, pedaling his bike finally, and other things. I voiced my concerns to the doctor and they were brushed away as if they were nothing, another year goes by. I take a child development class and realize things are worse than I thought and not only is it a physical problem, my child shows an overwhelming amount of signs for Autism. How could he be almost 8 and diagnosed? I always thought Autism was when you child is nonverbal, I had never heard of the other types. Now I know I need to fight for him. 2nd grade starts and it is becoming very obvious there is something wrong, but no one listens.I ask for screenings, the school physiologist says he isn't autistic, I know she's wrong. A five min. observation isn't going to tell you all you need to know. Another year goes by, I switch doctors he gives me what I want a referral to specialists. 5 months go by waiting to get in. 5 precious months, waiting. The neurologist runs test for everything he can think of. After 12 hours of testing The Neuro-psychologist diagnoses him with PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified) It is in fact on the Autism Spectrum. That whole year we continued doing tests, and eventually ended up down in Salt Lake at Primary Children's at a Metabolic Geneticist. Everything keeps coming back normal. We move to Texas and another year has gone by..... We wait another 5 months to get into the Metabolic Geneticist here, everything is still coming back normal. All the while he his losing fine and gross motor skills. And there is nothing I can do about it, I can't stop it, teachers want answers from me and I don't have any to give. His physical therapist gets him a walker so he can walk. This year he lost his reflexes in his knees in a 3 month period, we replaced his bunk bed because he could climb up and down and refused to sleep on the bottom. He used to be able to make it around the house unassisted. He now uses his walker whenever he has to go anywhere. He can't pedal his bike, we never took off his training wheels. He can run and play like his bother and sister. People judge me because he watches T.V. and plays video games. But what else is a child supposed to do when he can't run and play? When he can't play with normal toys because if he sits on the floor he can't get up on his own. Sometimes it takes all his energy just to get dressed by himself. Next month another year will have passed. He is my sweet little boy who makes me laugh, has the sweetest spirit and a great sense of humor. He is a comic book encyclopedia, an expert on star wars, and many other topics. He has the memory of an elephant and you can't promise him things you aren't prepared to give/do, because he will remember and won't let you forget. I watch him struggle everyday with all the little things that you and I find simple and easy. I wish I could take his place, make things easy, or fix him, but I know I can't. God put him here in this body for a reason, it's not my fight to fight. He is being shaped into a wonderful, strong person. In 18 days I will get test results telling me why he is the way he is. I have been waiting for this answer for at least 3 years, and now knowing that it's coming, wonder if I am truly ready?