Autism: A Family's Experience with a Diagnosis of Uncertainty

If you had asked Amy Davis of Clemmons a year or so ago about being a stay at home mom, she would have given a completely different response than she does today. As a wife to Robin Davis and a mother to three boys, Tee, 7, Ty, 5 and Thatcher, 3, she had in mind what her days and nights would consist of: volunteering for the PTA, working in her boys’ classrooms, chatting with neighbors in the yard as the boys played pretty much the ideal stay at home mom’s life. But then, life happened and things changed.

Diagnosis: Autism

At the age of 18 months, Thatcher Davis was a thriving little boy. He was doing all the ’normal’ things, and reaching all the regular milestones at the appropriate times, until a slow regression began. “I first had a concern that something was just not quite right with Thatcher when he began repeating a song over and over. Then he wouldn’t respond to his name. Basic words he had used, like ’mama’ and ’dada’ were now used inappropriately in a babbling sort of way and he lost the ability to play with his toys, and he didn’t sleep. At first, his behaviors were easy to explain away with ’Thatcher is the third child and the baby, so he may be just responding to his environment and his place in the family,’ but that was not the case,” recalled Davis. Suspecting a problem with Thatcher’s hearing, Davis took him to a pediatrician ENT. After a few tests, his hearing was diagnosed as normal, but the physician had other concerns. “I was told that I might want to check into getting Thatcher tested for learning disabilities. The state program, CDSA, which aids in the diagnosing of children from birth to 3 years old with learning problems, came to the house and they diagnosed Thatcher with moderate autism,” said Davis. Strangely, hearing the diagnosis brought relief.

“When I heard the word ’autism,’ I knew what I had to deal with; I could research and develop a plan to help Thatcher become all he could be. I had already been researching his symptoms online, so I wasn’t as shocked as I could have been. I had started Thatcher on a gluten-free and dairy-free diet (GFCF) anticipating this would be the end result,” stated Davis. Within a week or so on his new diet, Thatcher seemed to have a fog lift and was more aware of others and his surroundings; he had a clarity that he had not had in some time.” Within 30-60 days, the CDSA had provided all of the services that they could to Thatcher. “We soon found Dr. Ann Hines, a DAN Doctor (Defeat Autism Now), and she assessed Thatcher’s vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which is common for children with autism, due to what is called ’a leaky gut,’ where the needed minerals aren’t absorbed and are processed out before they can benefit the body.

After placing him on a regimen to correct his deficiencies, his GFCF diet, other biomedical treatments like chelation, his at-home tutoring, and the attention and education he receives at The ABC Of NC Child Development Center, he has come a long way in just a little less than a year,” commented Davis. In a recent re-evaluation, Thatcher was diagnosed with mild autism and has a vocabulary of over 30 words. “Through a special book, PECS (Picture Exchange Communication Systems), Thatcher has pictures of the words he has learned and those pictures are velcroed in the book. When Thatcher wants something or to do an activity, he goes to the book and finds the picture and hands it to me or whomever is around. Before he gets what he is wants, he must make eye contact and say the word. This has become a wonderful tool to communicate with Thatcher and that little book goes everywhere he goes,” stated Davis.

A Mom’s Belief and a Feeling of Responsibility

“There has been so much controversy over vaccines and whether or not they could have something to do with the increase in autism, but all I know is what I see with Thatcher; he is my science, and he changed after a round of vaccines. I would never tell parents to not vaccinate their children, but I do not feel vaccines are ’one size fits all.’ Vaccines are safe for most children. There are safer ways to give vaccines and I hope parents will research online through sites like www.generationrescue.com on how to do shots safely,” said Davis.

Change Comes in Many Forms

In the year since Thatcher Davis was diagnosed with autism, Davis, her husband, and her other sons have learned to cheer on the little things in life. “We celebrate Thatcher learning a new word or interacting with the family. Those things are like a child scoring a shot at a basketball game to us. Thatcher’s diagnosis changed each of us for the better. We are all more patient and more understanding of children with learning problems. Although this was not what I thought would be my life, I would not change anything. I have learned of God’s faithfulness and have grown in my spiritual walk and I mentor and share with other moms. We are truly blessed,” stated Davis. For more information on autism, visit www.autismspeaks.com.

To follow Thatcher’s journey and progress, visit www.thatchersjourney.com. For support in dealing with autism, visit www.generationrescue.org.