Throughout April, we are going to bring you some select guest blog posts from Warrior Mom Maureen Bordelon’s “Autism Hat Rack.” Maureen is one of the most positive and giving fellow parents I’ve met on this journey. Her three kids are amazing and inspirational…and I know where they get it! Enjoy Maureen’s first guest blog for us this month, watch for another next week; and in the meanwhile feel free to check out My Autism Hat Rack for posts about other hats (like the “hard hat”) worn by Maureen on her autism journey!
The Good Luck Hat
By Maureen Bordelon
My Hat Rack of autism was officially a permanent piece of furniture in my life when our third child, Jonathan, was diagnosed by our Pediatrician in the Fall of 2001.
I remember having all 3 kids in the doctor’s office and the nurse was going over the checklist of milestones for each child. I was really good at trying to knock out all 3 kid’s well visits in one punch.
So when the nurse asked me, “So Jonathan is 16 months, right?” and I answered, “Yes.”
Then the Nurse, who honestly looked like she was 12, asked me in a disapproving tone, “Why didn’t you come in at his 12 month check up?”

A few weeks ago I did part 1 of this blog to bring awareness to parents with special needs children and the importance of getting guidance. So, lets dive in and answer these questions so you can get started tomorrow.
Does the type of testing matter?
Each doctor has a toolbox of testing they do and all are not equal, neither is the interpretation of the results. I will touch on this more next month but in the mean time find someone that treats and sees children with special needs and make sure they have the knowledge in functional medicine (treating the core issues) to treat your child.

It is Autism Awareness month and it makes me think most about those parents and families that are without guidance on their journey. In a blink of an eye your life changes and your child is diagnosed, this overwhelms every family and most all have little guidance. The maze of the internet becomes the constant as you search online for hope. Some parents get the care they need and others spend 10 years following dead ends. It is my mission to see parents get ALL their options for treatment. I cannot count the number of parents that have cried in frustration and in joy.

Four years ago, just before Christmas, we received the preliminary results of our son’s evaluation for ASD through our local school district. While I went in with plenty of knowledge and even suggested to the evaluation team that I suspected Asperger’s Syndrome, somehow it didn’t make it hurt less to see the results on paper. I remember reading the 20+ page document while extended family members visited and laughed with my husband in the next room. Ethan was tucked safe and sound in his warm bed for the night, but I was flooded with emotion. I’ll never forget that night. And while I love Christmas and all the blessings it brings, I will admit that this time of year tends to leave me feeling a bit overwhelmed. Truly a bitter-sweet time of year for me.

Five years ago today we sat in a doctor’s office, arriving early for a 9am appointment. Mason was fidgety and nervous. Even at a young 19 months of age he didn’t care for doctors, nurses or anyone related with the staff despite how cheerful they were with him.
His defenses were up at all times.
Rashele had long suspected something was amiss in Mason’s progress. I, the clueless husband, shrugged it off assuming all was well and he was just going at his own pace.
He wasn’t.

The rate of Autism in the United States is now reported to be 1 in every 91 children. The "official" prevalence rate is up 50% from 1 in every 150 children just a few short years ago. Am I speechless? Am I surprised? Am I at a loss for words? Am I dumbfounded beyond belief? Are you nuts? Of course I am not surprised, nor bewildered, and I am definitely not speechless. You don't have to be part of the Autism Community for long before you realize that the "official" numbers have been inaccurate for a long time.