My Son's and My Autism Story

I have a miracle story to tell all of you.  You all know I have a son on the autism spectrum.  He was my miracle child because I almost lost him 3 times (2 times during pregnancy and 1 time at birth).  I have a family history of neurological disorders (epilepsy). Then he was diagnosed 1 month before he was 2.  I didn't even know what autism was at the time because I was a single mom.  We noticed some signs that things were not right along with the daycare workers noticing.  A child that once had a great vocabulary started becoming non-verbal.  He would sit off by himself to play instead of playing with everyone else.  He would is head on cement walls and floors to express his anger or had a hard time expressing what he was feeling.  He was so delayed in his gross and fine motor skills.  He started with Early Intervention and received OT, PT, Speech, PEC System, you name it.  I put my heart and sole into making life easier for him to cope with.  I refused to set routines knowing that I could never keep a routine for myself. I never set schedules because I never had the same schedule for work. I made sure to work on what the instructors worked with my son on that day.  Yes I had my moments of crying, feeling the fear that he will not move on to the next step, or that I am failing him. I felt overwhelmed, stressed out, and helpless.  But I moved on and worked harder with him. Its been almost 10 years since his diagnosis.  He has tested out of OT, PT, and Speech. He has a vibrant vocabulary.  He still has an aide and receives counseling.  Aggressive behaviors are the thing of the past (he use to throw desk, books, and chairs.  He also hit, kick, and bite).  The head banging ceased at the age of 4.  He still have obsessions which I am working on to decrease or stop completely.  I feel that obsessions will just get you into a lot of trouble when you get older (my opinion). I looked over his autism and treated him as I would if he didn't have it.  He is now a 6th grade student with a 93 average.  He reads at 8th grade level and has a photographic memory.  He tries to make friends and tries to carry conversations (2 way conversations instead of 1 way).  He loves to build with legos and read books. He plays the violin and tells me his dreams of going to college, becoming an astronaut, and live in a mansion in Texas.  I have people telling me that they cannot tell that he has autism.  It was a lot of hard work, dedication, and some 4-5 hour sleep nights ( I was working part time and going to college full time).  Because of all the hard work I put in my son I wanted to continue it in the school setting.  I am currently working as a 1:1 aide and have been doing this for 4 years.  I hope in the future to go back to school to get my education degree.  I just wanted to share this with all of you about my life story.  I would like my son's story to be a motivator and people to know that this can be done.  I am not saying that any of you don't work hard with your child at all.  I just saying that some miracles can happen.