By Casey Rentz, npr.org
Sherry Alvarez says she knew there was something different about her son since he was about 9 months old. Back then Sherry says his pediatrician told her there was nothing to worry about, ” ‘Boys are a little slower than girls, so let’s just wait until his second birthday.’ ” We aren’t using Sherry’s son’s name to protect his privacy.
By her son’s second birthday, Sherry says she was getting desperate. She didn’t know why he wasn’t talking yet or showing affection like other kids. At 2 1/2, he was referred to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
There, after four hours of tests, Sherry says the doctor handed her a 20-page report explaining his autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, among others. She says she was paralyzed by emotion.