In 1997, after almost 8 years of marriage, my husband and I welcomed our first baby boy Nicholas into the world. He was beautiful and perfect. He always smiled and seemed normal in every way. He was truly a blessing. We noticed very early on that he was very interested in letters, so when Nicholas was about a year old, my husband bought him a little electronic talking typewriter that he carried with him everywhere along with a big purple dinosaur that he named Rex. We were amazed when at 18 months old, Nicholas could already name and recognize all the letters of the alphabet. Then, he learned them all backwards. He could say a few words, but we did notice that his language skills were not developing as they should. He also had an amazing memory and could spell many words far beyond what was expected for his age but at the same time, he really did not seem to have any interest in other children. 

In addition, he began making odd vocal sounds and started engaging in repetitive movements and lost interest in his toys. At age 2, we took him to his pediatrician and voiced all our concerns. His pediatrician told us he was a little behind and not to worry he would catch up. Unfortunately, he did not catch up and we did not get a formal diagnosis of Autism until he was age 4. By then, we felt we had wasted so much time, so we started an ABA program for him along with his first experience of school. We tried a lot of different schools through the years, but nothing seemed to fit so we decided we would have to create what he needed. In the fall of 2008, Bacot Academy became a reality and Nicholas of course was our first student. I quickly realized there were other families just like us and it has been a privilege having each student pass through our door. Nicholas (he know prefers Nick) was at Bacot Academy for a lot of years. He has grown, matured and made tremendous progress and remains very happy. He is the funniest and most genuine person in my life. He has twin brothers that love him very much. He has taught them to understand and appreciate other people’s differences.  He loves his Main Coon cat “Oliver,” karaoke, playing Miracle League baseball, the water and he takes an active role in caring for his 101-year-old World War II grandfather. Most importantly, Nick is and always will be my inspiration!