Jermaine used to say mama, dada, and he would copy us when we would say no no no. He regressed and no longer said those words, stopped waving hi/bye, and rarely responded to his name. He also didn’t clap, point, and barely babbled. At his 16 month appointment I mentioned it to his pediatrician, who said he was still young but to give me peace of mind, he would give me a questionnaire to mail in for an assessment. From the questionnaire, his motor skills were fine, but he was delayed with his communication and social skills. I’m glad that I went with my gut because after a 3 hour assessment on January 25, 2022, he was diagnosed with level 2 autism. He has been in ABA, speech, and occupational therapy for the past 2 years. He will be starting his 2nd year of preschool soon and we are very excited for him. Since his diagnosis he has made so much progress. We had a fun time participating for the first time at last year’s Bay Area Walk and we are excited to participate in this year’s Field Day! We want to continue to participate every year to spread awareness and help fundraise for research to improve the lives of people on the spectrum. Thank you for being a part of Mainey's World team!