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Luke was diagnosed with Autism in 1998 at the age of 3 yrs., when the rate of Autism was 1 in 10,000. Today the rate of Autism is 1 in every 88 children. At the age of 9, Luke started having medical and behavioral issues. Most doctors thought it was only his autism. However, three hard years of trying many meds, psy visits, and therapies, Luke's family met a doctor that looked passed his diagnosis of autism, and looked deeper. In the meantime, frustrated and in need of help and support, Julia and Greg founded Families with ASD to reach out to other families who were living with autism, in hopes to help their son. Luke is now a Sophomore at Amelia High School. Luke not only has the Autism Diagnosis, but was also given the Epilepsy Diagnosis in 2005, and an Auto-Immune Disorder Diagnosis in 2007 when test showed that his immune system was attacking his brain. Luke has been receiving IvIg infusions at Cincinnati Children's Hospital once a month since April of 2007. These 22-hour infusions require an overnight hospital stay for each treatment. Families with ASD has grown from a small grassroot's family autism support group, to one of the largest grassroot's non-profit autism organization in the state of Ohio. They are the proud founders of the Autism Expo, Autism Yellow Pages, Autism Family Resource Center and much, much, more. Families with ASD will celebrate its 7th Anniversary on March 4, 2012! Again, none of this would have happened had it not been for Luke Gregory Smith. Thank you Luke! |
