The Day Of


Carson did incredible at his evaluation—no surprise there. He showed real strength, especially in math, which put my worries about dyscalculia to rest. He also impressed me with his reading, identifying difficult words like “revolutionary” which eased my fears about dysgraphia.

At first, he was too anxious to talk, he often is around adults. He would answer questions by nodding and shaking his head. But eventually, he started answering questions, and I was so proud of him for pushing through his shyness. Throughout the evaluation, when he wasn’t sure about something, he’d glance over at me, and I could feel his need for reassurance, which of course he got from all three of us. Watching him face those hard math questions and seeing how brave he was filled me with pride.

We won’t have the official results for another 10-12 weeks, but the evaluator suspects Carson has autism. While that wasn’t a surprise, having it officially diagnosed will mean he can get extra help if needed. More importantly, he won’t go through life wondering why he feels “different”—he’ll know why.

I also hope that this will help others be more patient with him. Maybe now people will better understand why Carson doesn’t like to hug, or why he’s slow to warm, or why he avoids saying hello or goodbye. Hopefully, they’ll meet him with more grace and understanding moving forward. Hopefully they’ll respect his boundaries.

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