Brooke, 2009

It was in the spring of 2009, we were sure something wasn't right with Brooke. Severe tantrums, no speaking, and no eye contact. It was by chance down at my sisters, that her and one of her friends got to see Brooke. My sister and her friend both agreed, Brooke was showing sure signs of autism. To me, it was awful. Everything I ever heard about autistic children wasn't good. I had also heard that to help autistic children, the sooner they got help the better the chance for them. We decided to have a family meeting, and discuss the issue with Brookes Mom. It was a very tough thing for her mother, but it was agreed Brooke needed help.
We started first with OCCK, an organization for special needs people. They started seeing Brooke twice a week, and also got us information about getting a formal diagnosis for Brooke. In October 2009, we took Brooke to Kansas University Medical Center to meet with autistic specialist. The diagnosis, ASD or Autistic Spectrum Disorder.