Mom Shares Her Emotional Reaction to Son’s Level 3 Autism Diagnosis: ‘You Don’t Know What Their Future Holds’ (Exclusive)

In a video on TikTok, Stapleton shared a compilation of her youngest son, Landon, kicking his feet. Though she initially dismissed it as something most babies do, she eventually began to suspect there was something more at play.

“I think we started noticing things, as in not meeting milestones, as early as about 4 to 6 months old,” Stapleton, a lead financial service representative, tells PEOPLE. “A typical milestone that children meet between that 4 and 5-month mark is looking at you when you say their name, and he never met that.”

Stapleton had her older son, Colson, just 10 months before welcoming Landon. Because of that, she says she started “really paying attention” to when each of their boys would reach these milestones.

“I noticed my older son would do everything on time or right before the milestone, and Landon was doing everything three to six months past when they would typically hit that milestone,” she says. “So that’s what made me first be like, ‘Okay, every kid’s different, but, like, there’s something going on here.’ “

The Maricopa, Ariz., resident says she noticed a series of other clues that she knew needed to be brought up to her son’s pediatrician, such as quickly becoming “overwhelmed” when presented with a plate of food. The continuous kicking was another she found herself constantly coming back to.

“It was when he was super excited — say, like, Ms. Rachel was on the TV, he would put his hands into fists and stiffen up. He would make, like, an O shape with his mouth and then kick because he was getting extra stimulation out of it,” she says. “It was constant. It wasn’t like a kick here and there. It was all the time.”

Stapleton says it was actually her feed on TikTok that convinced her to bring up the possibility of her son having autism. Her feed was filled with videos of other mothers sharing the early signs they noticed in their kids.

“As a mom, you just know,” she says. “The more I saw it on TikTok, the more I was like, ‘I’m not wrong. Like, I know I’m not wrong. There is something here.’ “

She initially brought it up at Landon’s 9-month appointment, though she was told to “keep watching it,” as it was too early to diagnose. When she brought it up again three months later, noting to Landon’s doctor that he still didn’t respond to his own name, they referred her to a specialist.

It took another six months before Landon could be seen by the specialist, who Stapleton says diagnosed him with “level three autism and a speech delay.” According to the CDC, a level 3 diagnosis means the child “requires very substantial support,” and is likely to need continued support throughout his life.

At the time, she says the diagnosis felt “terrifying” — but it also allowed her to start taking steps to get him the support he needs.

“Having the diagnosis opens up a world of, what services can he get, where can I help him as a parent, what else can I learn about it to be there for him?” she says. “And then the other end is, of course, it’s sad. Like, you don’t know what to expect, especially when you get a level three diagnosis or a profound diagnosis. You just don’t know what their future holds.”

Since getting the diagnosis, Stapleton says she’s started “early intervention support” for Landon, such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, eating therapyand sensory therapies. Despite the fact that she’s just weeks away from welcoming the newest addition to their family, she says she’s doing what she can to set him up for success.

Stapleton says that she found the videos from other mothers with autistic children “helpful.”

“I had so many people say, ‘Wait, this isn’t normal. Wait, my kid does this,’ And it scared them, and that was not my intention by any means,” she says of her viral video. “I had a couple people actually end up private messaging me and say, ‘What were your other signs? Like, what do I do?’ And my best advice to any of them is, ‘If you suspect anything, go to your pediatrician.’ “

“Every kid is different… Half of the people I follow, they all have kids with autism too, whether they’re the same age or not, because it makes you feel less alone. You feel more seen,” she continues. “But the most important thing is if you think anything, it’s go to the doctor immediately. Even if you feel stupid and you feel like you’re repeating yourself, go until someone takes you seriously.”

“Getting that kind of diagnosis isn’t, like, a death sentence. It’s scary, yeah, but it’s … There’s so much, like, love and joy from having a child on the spectrum,” she says. “He’s our happiest kid this far.”