April is Autism Awareness month- Ethan's Tower

Our son Ethan was diagnosed in March of 2017 with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This time last year, at age 2 1/2, he would only babble. Ethan was unable to communicate with words, did not say "mommy" or "daddy" and could not point to show us his needs and wants. Although we started him with early intervention speech therapy at age 1, he had never seemed to progress. We had known that something wasn't quite right.

A few weeks after the diagnosis, we started ABA therapy. ABA therapy (applied behavior analysis) is the best established therapy out there, proven to help children with autism. Two weeks into ABA, Ethan was pointing and started to say words such as "green", "car" and finally "mommy". I'll never forget that day, and still cry when I think about that moment.

Today, our son talks non-stop and can speak in full sentences! He sings songs, recites the alphabet, reads, and attends preschool. This therapy has been life changing and we couldn't couldn't be more thankful to his amazing team of therapists who work with him every day. They have been such a blessing!

Ethan LOVES water towers! He has actually named all of the water towers near our home (mostly after Sesame Street characters), and seeks out new towers when we take road trips.

We are taking part in the Chicago Autism Speaks walk again this year, and thought it would only be fitting to design our team t-shirt with a tower in his honor. Ethan's Tower!!! His future has never been brighter and we are SO very proud of our little guy!

We invite family, and friends to join us for the walk that will take place at Soldier Field, Saturday May 12th in the mid-morning. We will host a post-walk party with refreshments and fun! Strollers, wagons, and dogs are welcome! (if bringing a dog, you can meet us once we get outside the stadium).

If you are unable to attend the walk, please consider purchasing a t-shirt and wear it proud. Thank you for your love and support. All walkers purchasing a shirt must order by April 18th to ensure timely delivery.