"What does this mean, Dr. Foster," Sheldon looked between the doctor behind her desk and his son, sitting on his lap.
The doctor took a breath before replying, "I know this is a lot to process. Leo is a very bright little boy, who happens to have autism. He is still the same child you've loved his whole life. Previously, he would have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, but that term is not widely used anymore."
"What happens now?" questioned Amy, who had been holding Leo's hand in her own.
"We'll work together to determine what will best help Leo," Dr. Foster shared. "I can help you work with his pre-k teacher before he starts school this fall to determine what accommodations he might need to be successful. I'll have you arrange another appointment in about two weeks for us to go over what that might look like for him."
Sheldon continued to hold Leo close. "Why can't we decide what he needs now?"
Giving Sheldon and Amy a small smile, Dr. Foster leaned forward. "We could do that, but I like to give patients and their families a little time to accept the diagnosis before I throw even more information at them. Go home, spend time with your family and friends. Share what we've discussed with them. I can also recommend a great family therapist for you and your older children if you feel that will be helpful to process some of this."
"Thank you," Amy said, reaching to take Leo from Sheldon. "I'll check our calendar at home and call tomorrow to make the follow-up appointment."
Walking across the parking lot, Amy tightly held Leo on her hip with one arm while gripping Sheldon's hand with the other. Sheldon stood behind her as she fastened their son into his car seat. As she turned around, he dangled the car key next to his side. "Do you mind driving home? I don't think it's best for me to drive right now."
"Sure," she reached for the keys and walked around the car to climb in the driver's seat. The couple sat quietly, sensing the tension from the other, neither sure what to say. Their silence was interrupted when Leo mumbled something from the backseat. "What's that, baby? Mommy didn't quite hear you."
"Ice cream," the boy quietly repeated.
"You want us to stop for ice cream?" Sheldon looked over his shoulder to see him nod in response. "Should we get Katie and Max first?"
Leo stared back at his father, "No."
Smiling at him in the rearview mirror, Amy commented, "You've had a long day. I think some ice cream would be alright. We'll take some home for Katie and Max."
The trio arrived home after their ice cream detour with sundaes for Max and Katie. Leo immediately ran into the living room and pulled out a bin of toys as his siblings ate their ice cream. Kneeling next to the coffee table with her treat, five-year-old Katie didn't notice Max following Amy and Sheldon into the kitchen. "Was everything okay at Leo's doctor appointment? You guys got home a lot later than you thought you would," the eighteen-year-old pointed out.
"Why don't you have a seat?" Sheldon pulled out chairs at the table for himself and Amy.
Max played with the spoon in his ice cream, looking between his parents. "What's wrong? Is Leo sick?"
"No, he's not sick," Sheldon stared at the table in front of him, unable to make eye contact with his son. "Leo's doctor appointment was longer than a regular appointment because it was with a specialist. Do you remember back just after Thanksgiving when you met me at Wolowitz's house and spent the afternoon watching the kids with us?"
Tilting his head at his parents, Max paused before answering, "Vaguely. That was almost six months ago. What would that day have to do with his doctor appointment today?"
Sheldon continued his explanation, "As we were driving home, you pointed out how Leo was playing by himself that afternoon and showed no interest in playing with the other kids. I told you to not worry about it, but I started looking up why a toddler might prefer to be alone rather than in a large group of kids. I found some things online that described Leo perfectly. Your mom and I mentioned it to his pediatrician, who referred us to the specialist we saw today."
"Max, what your dad is trying to tell you is you questioned things that we had noticed, but ignored. You pointing them out made us realize that people aside from us were noticing things about Leo and maybe we should talk to someone about them."
"What kind of specialist did you have to take Leo to?" Max looked towards the living room, hearing Katie and Leo laughing at something in the next room.
Amy gave her oldest son a small smile, knowing he was listening to his younger siblings. "We took him to see a child psychologist who specializes in autism. We have to make another appointment for a few weeks from now to learn more, but Leo was diagnosed with autism this afternoon."
"Can I go with you? I know I'm going to San Diego in the fall for college, but I'll be here all summer and I'm only a few hours away if you need anything after I move, plus I'll be home for school breaks. Does Leo understand what happened today? Are you going to tell Katie?"
Sheldon nodded at his son, "Yes, you can come with us if you'd like. The doctor also gave us the name of a family therapist she works with if you'd like us to talk about this together. We can bring Katie and Leo for that, or it can be just the three of us."
Answering the rest of Max's questions, Amy jumped into the conversation. "Leo knows today was a long day and he figured he could get a treat for being good. The ice cream was his idea. Sheldon suggested picking you and Katie up first, but he didn't want to wait. We'll explain it to Katie in a way she'll understand. Tell her that if Leo isn't interested in playing with the other kids at the playground, or isn't saying much, or is focusing on one thing for a long time, that it's okay and that's just the way he experiences the world. I don't think she's noticed he does anything differently because that's how she's always known him to do things."
Max stood to throw away his ice cream dish before joining his parents at the table again. "Okay. Are you going to tell everyone else? We're supposed to be having dinner at Penny and Leonard's tonight."
"We hadn't discussed it, but yes, we'll tell them tonight. We want everyone to learn about this with us," answered Sheldon after seeing Amy nod in response. "They know Leo had a doctor appointment this afternoon and that's why we weren't at work today, but they don't know what the appointment was for."
"I have a lot of homework tonight. I'm going to try to get some of it done before we leave for dinner if that's alright?" Max asked his parents.
Seeing Sheldon nod his head in agreement, Max began to get up from the table again when Amy's voice stopped him. "You're sure you're okay with everything we just told you? It's a lot to take in and I know your dad and I are struggling to wrap our minds around everything."
Max shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah. I'm sure I'll think of stuff that I have questions about, but this doesn't change anything. Leo's still my little brother; the same little brother that I literally ran home from school to meet the day you brought him home from the hospital. He's still going to ask to have sleepovers in my room and want me to play with him instead of doing my homework." With that, Max pushed in the chair he'd been sitting in and ran up the stairs.
"I'm gonna miss him when he goes away to college," Amy stated, leaning her head against Sheldon's shoulder. "The doctor told us Leo is still the same kid we've loved his whole life, but it took Max saying it for it to really sink in. Leo is still Leo. What we learned today doesn't change that."
I just finished the last chapter! There will be 45 chapters total and I think the last one should be posted the middle of February if I'm able to continue posting every few days.
