Korbin was born a healthy 7lbs 5oz baby.\u00a0 There were no complications during the pregnancy or delivery.\u00a0 After Korbin\u2019s 9 month check-up, it was determined that he wasn\u2019t meeting many of the milestones. \u00a0Korbin was evaluated for early intervention services at that time, but did not qualify because he was not showing a significant enough delay.\u00a0 Shortly after Korbin\u2019s first birthday, he had surgery to place tubes in his ears and remove his adenoids with hopes to cure the chronic ear infections Korbin had been suffering from since roughly 5 months old.\u00a0 We also hoped that with a healthy Korbin we would see more progress in his development.\u00a0 The surgery cured the chronic ear infections; however, Korbin still was not meeting milestones.\u00a0 After recovery from surgery, Korbin was re-evaluated for early intervention services, at which time he qualified for services. Korbin\u2019s early intervention began with weekly therapy sessions with an infant\/toddler development specialist.\u00a0 Korbin also transitioned into a school\/daycare environment designed for special needs and non-special needs children.\u00a0 Korbin was beginning to show more progress, but was still significantly delayed.\u00a0 Korbin began receiving physical, occupational and speech therapy on a monthly basis, and remained working with his developmental specialist weekly.\u00a0 Korbin participated in a local gymnastics class to encourage gross motor skills.\u00a0 He also completed two sessions of baby sign language to encourage communication.<\/p>\n
Shortly after Korbin turned two, he underwent genetic and metabolic testing, both of which had no findings.\u00a0 Korbin also had an MRI scan of the brain to identify any abnormalities.\u00a0 This too came back with no findings.\u00a0 Korbin had surgery to remove his tonsils in hopes of helping the eating\/swallowing issues he deals with daily.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the surgery did not have much effect on his ability to eat and swallow similar to children his age. Korbin has frequented many medical doctors in his short time including, 3 neurologists, 2 ENTs, 1 orthopedic, 1 ophthalmologist, 2 endocrinologists, 1 psychologist and 3 primary care physicians.\u00a0 Korbin still receives care from many of the above medical doctors on a bi-annual basis for monitoring.<\/p>\n At age 3.5, Korbin was evaluated by a psychologist, who diagnosed him with low functioning autism and severe Sensory Processing Disorder.\u00a0 Korbin continues to receive speech and occupational therapy through the public preschool, where he is in a special education classroom.\u00a0 In addition to the services received through the school system, Korbin also receives weekly occupational therapy and bi-monthly speech therapy through a private provider (private pay insurance will only allot a certain amount of therapy sessions per term, in which Korbin\u2019s family is still responsible for the co-payment).\u00a0 Korbin enjoys all of the therapy he receives, along with the therapists providing the services.\u00a0 Korbin faces many struggles day to day.\u00a0 He is non-verbal and only communicates through a few signs and adheres to a strict gluten and casein free diet.\u00a0 With the services provided from the wonderful therapists working with Korbin daily, he continues to show so much progress week to week and always has a smile on his face.<\/p>\n This story is part of my Weekend\u00a0Wisdom<\/a> series which shares the experiences and stories of other parents. \u00a0April is Austism Awareness Month and C-Section Awareness Month, If you have your own story you\u2019d like to share, fill out this form<\/a> and I will be in touch!<\/p>\n![\"Korbin](\"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Korbin-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nAbout Korbin\u2019s Mommy: I grew up in Bailey, Colorado and moved to Jacksonville, Florida in 2001 to attend college.\u00a0 During college I met the man I eventually married. \u00a0After we got married, I wanted nothing more than to have children.\u00a0 We waited several years until we both had started our careers and moved into a house.\u00a0 After two pregnancy losses, I became pregnant with Korbin.\u00a0 It was the most nerve racking experience of my life.\u00a0 Like most pregnant women, I wanted to do everything just right.\u00a0 I followed all of the doctor\u2019s recommendations to fulfill a \u201chealthy pregnancy\u201d.\u00a0 I experienced morning sickness well into 16 weeks pregnant, but from that point on, I loved every minute of carrying Korbin. \u00a0The day Korbin entered this world, my life changed forever.\u00a0 I had never felt a love like that before.\u00a0 Since Korbin was our first child, and neither my husband or myself had spent very much time around children, we did not recognize any signs of delay immediately.\u00a0 We always thought that we lucked out because we had this beautiful baby boy, who rarely cried and was easily entertained simply by watching the ceiling fan.\u00a0 When we learned of Korbin\u2019s delay, we did everything we could, based on what we knew at that time, to help our son meet milestones.\u00a0 That included seeking answers from other medical professionals, changing his school\/daycare environment, starting intervention services, and enrolling him in any activity to help build skills Korbin was lacking. \u00a0<\/address>\n\u00a0<\/address>\nIn 2013, we welcomed Korbin\u2019s sister, Dylann, into the world.\u00a0 Dylann has showed no signs of delay and already possesses much compassion for her older brother.\u00a0 After Dylann\u2019s arrival, it became very difficult to care for two children, one with special needs, without any family support.\u00a0 As such, we decided to move back to Denver, Colorado to be closer to family.\u00a0 This has been the best decision we could have made.\u00a0 Korbin, Dylann, and myself are surrounded by more love than ever before. \u00a0My husband and I continue to progress in our careers and battle many emotional and financial obstacles raising a child with special needs.\u00a0 We have been able to obtain more therapy services for Korbin.\u00a0 Our biggest challenge is finding appropriate child care for him.\u00a0 We have been lucky enough to cross paths with two wonderful women, who have been nothing short of a miracle in caring for Korbin.\u00a0 Dylann continues to thrive and loves spending time with her brother and cousin.<\/address>\n\u00a0<\/address>\nKorbin’s family is currently trying to raise money<\/a> to send him to the Early Start program at Adam’s Camp, which will be of huge benefit to Korbin. You can read more about the camp and Korbin here<\/a>. \u00a0\u00a0<\/address>\n<\/a><\/address>\n\u00a0<\/address>\n