Local family shares ASD diagnosis journey
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – April is Autism Awareness Month.
And autism or autism spectrum disorder looks different for each person.
Ava Madison is nine years old.
Her parents, Darnell Madison and Ariel Colvin, said they noticed signs of Autism in Ava at early age.
“Her social skills, they were delayed. Her speech was delayed, just her interactive skills. We had some concerns that something was different about her. That’s when we decided to get her tested,” said Darnell.
Since Ava has been diagnosed, Darnell said it has helped the family be able to adapt and get the help they need.
He’s also seen the difference in Ava.
“She’s great. Her speech has developed tremendously. Her social skills. She’s a social butterfly. Everybody loves her. She doesn’t have too many challenges as far as interacting or talking. I think the only challenge now is that she gets flustered when trying to express herself sometimes,” said Darnell.
Ava said she likes to sing, dance and spend time with family.
And when I asked her what would she like people to know about her, she said:
“I want people to know about how talented am I and how beautiful I am.”
Dr. Andi Turner is a clinical psychologist and autism expert with around 20 years of experience.
She recommends families build a community of supporters and allies.
“There is no ‘one size fits all’ autism spectrum disorder. There are some criteria that people meet to get the diagnosis…but if you meet one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism. Everyone is unique within that community,” said Turner.
According to Autism Speaks, autism or autism spectrum disorder, is estimated to affect 1 in 31 children in the United States and 1 in 45 adults.
People who have autism can be verbal or non-verbal.
If you to want to learn more about getting a child diagnosed, Turner recommends reaching out to a developmental pediatrician or local school.
