Kelsey West said her adventurous six-year-old boy, Caleb, has a bright mind, kind heart and a strong love of the outdoors.
He can often be found swimming, biking or playing with his younger brother in the yard of their Minto home, about 50 kilometres east of Fredericton.
But in addition to these typical childhood interests, West said, Caleb can also experience heightened emotions that don’t always match the situation.
Caleb “experiences the world in a really intense way,” she said.
It was something West said she flagged to specialists when he was younger, and something often dismissed.
“I was always kind of pushed to the side and told that it’s just a phase,” she said. “But as things increased in difficulty, I really had to advocate for him in order to be heard.”
West said she and her husband decided last year to bypass what they had been told by their doctor could be up to a two-year wait for a psychological assessment in the public system. They had Caleb assessed privately.
Kelsey West says a clinical diagnosis for her son provided tools for understanding and supporting him better. (Allyson McCormack/CBC)
A diagnosis of autism was $3,000 well spent in their eyes. It opened doors for resources and allowed them to better understand and support their son at home and at school.
If they had waited for a school psychologist, that cost would have been covered by the school district.
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