Family has much to be thankful for a year after son's autism diagnosis
November 27, 2009
Last Thanksgiving, when most people were counting their blessings with family, the Wells family was being told that their son has autism and might never speak.
"We were in total shock. We couldn't believe this was happening," said Peggy Wells.
Anthony Wells describes the walk from the nurse's office to the car as the "longest walk of his life." But the family had faith that their three-year-old son Peyton wouldn't be just another statistic, so they decided to keep looking - and praying.
"We went to Texas Children's Hospital and they observed Peyton for 35 minutes and then gave us a book and that was it," she said. "It was basically like, 'good luck.'"
Soon after, a local doctor recommended the family to a speech therapist in Nacogdoches, who also teaches speech at Stephen F. Austin University.
The family began working with the therapist, Anita Scoggins of Professional Speech and Language Services, and within weeks Peyton was using cards to describe objects and even emotions.
"I remember he wrote, 'I see one apple,' and it was the most amazing thing," Wells said. "I'll remember that sentence for the rest of my life."
Autism is characterized by developmental disabilities that can cause severe challenges in social behaviors and communication skills, according to the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention. How it begins in a child's development, and what causes it are still being debated, and there are many treatments, but no cures.
"We prayed to God asking for guidance," Wells said. "We just gave it all up to him and prayed for a miracle."
After months spent working with Scoggins, she referred the Wells family to Brenna Knott of Functional Pediatrics in Nacogdoches. There Peyton would hone his social and physical skills in an environment the family describes as "worlds removed from a standard clinic."
"We walked in and there were toys and trampolines and balls for the kids," she said. "Peyton just started immediately playing and felt right at home."
Since last Thanksgiving, Peyton is now speaking words and learning to integrate with other children, taking a giant step each day.
"This year we are thankful for these two wonderful women who came into our life and gave us hope when others said there wasn't any," Wells said. "They are like family to us now, including all the staff at both offices."
Anthony Wells recalls seeing other children at Texas Children's Hospital who were worse off than their son, and how it put things in perspective for the family.
"It broke your heart to see children who didn't even have enough strength to smile, they were so sick," he said.
Peggy Wells says even in the face of a difficult disorder, she's thankful for every day they spend with their son.
"We're treating the autism. It's a part of our lives every day," she said. "But he's smiling and he's running around and he's happy. And we're thankful for that."