Meet Lorilea...A sweet young lady with tons of creativity and imagination. She loves to draw and write short stories. She has a beautiful voice and is a wonderful singer. She also enjoys Karate. It helps with her self-confidence and strength to do better and try harder.
Lorilea was diagnosed with Autisim Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with PDD and ADHD at the age of 3. Before her diagnosis she displayed behaviors of a typical toddler and was learning to speak Spanish at an early age and then one day something changed as if a switch was flipped. Up until her diagnosis I was not aware of the symptoms of Autism. All I knew was that my sweet angel couldn't speak to me and tell me how she felt. I witnessed her bang her head against a wall in frustration because she couldn't tell me what was wrong or what I could do to help her. I was a young mother and in the beginning was in complete denial. But once Lorilea was enrolled in school her father and I were able to work with her teachers on how to help her cope with her meltdowns. She mimicked movie phrases as a means of communication with us.
As time went on Lorilea was also diagnosed with separation anxiety. But she continued to work hard and has showed great progress from the help at her school, her doctors and her family. In the fall she will begin 8th grade and has been able to move away from some of her therapy classes. I am hoping by high school she will begin inclusion classes. She continues to surprise me and I'm excited to see what the future holds for her.
But there is nothing more certain than this wonderful girl has my heart forever.
Bedford, OH
