Mom uses social media to share son’s journey with autism spectrum disorder
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan. (WOOD) — A mother from West Michigan is working to spread awareness and education about her son’s growth and challenges with autism spectrum disorder.
Artie Dilly was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was two years old. His mom, Emily Dilly, said he was nonverbal, could not speak in full sentences and spoke mostly in jargon. She added that he was also sensitive to different textures in food and clothing and would struggle with insomnia.
“We did everything we could, but there was more than what we could offer and so we knew that we wanted to do something about it,” Dilly said.
She started researching online and decided to try and get Artie a diagnosis, but they faced a challenge. It would take months for any psychiatrists to diagnose him. They had to wait nine months until they were able to see someone in Traverse City.
“When you are two years old, nine months is a very long percentage of your lifetime, and so in the meantime, we were struggling, we were in a very hard place,” Dilly said.
He was then diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder which meant the family was now able to get Artie help from professional therapists. They decided to call Wedgwood Christian Services’ Autism Center for Child Development and there was an opening that Artie was able to fill.
“The work that we get to do every day is really inspiring, so we love doing it. And if we can help more families, that’s what we want to do,” Candice Lake, director of the center, said.
The center pairs each child up with multiple different therapists to work with and teach them using the applied behavior analysis also known as the ABA method. They provide these services for children from ages 18 months to 12 years with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.
“I cannot say enough about the freedom we have now received, and it works, and the data shows that it works. Artie is happier now than he has ever been,” Dilly said.
Artie is now four years old and Dilly said in the first six months that he went to the center, his speech started to improve.
“My husband and I are just like meeting him for the first time. We didn’t know what was all in there. So it’s just really beautiful,” Dilly said.
April is Autism Acceptance Month which celebrates people with autism spectrum disorder and educates others about it. One in 36 people is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according to the CDC.
“We celebrate autism because it’s not a scary thing. It’s not a bad thing. He is just different, and I love Artie because he’s so unique,” Dilly said. “It’s hard and it makes life hard sometimes, but not impossible and I just feel like having a month to celebrate is really special.”
She wanted to capture Artie’s journey and share it with others, so she started an Instagram page called In.Arties.World. There she shares videos, pictures and details on how Artie is doing and his improvement.
“I wanted something to look back on to remember how hard it was and where we were and then look at where we are now,” Dilly said. “I thought what better way than to have like a digital scrapbook of sorts.”
Dilly said she and Artie are delighted to see how far he has come, and she hopes that growth continues in the future. You can learn more about the child development center here.
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