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Lynne Lukes has been a licensed speech-language pathologist for 18 years. Four years into the marriage,
Lynne and Ken started a family in December 1996 when their first daughter, Delanie was born. Their family
continued to grow when Rileigh was born in July 1998. Although Rileigh was born with a low birth weight,
she caught up with her peers by age 6 months and hit all of her developmental milestones on time. However,
at the age of 3 1/2 years, she began regressing. She stopped asking questions that all three-year-olds ask
and seemed to be in her own world. Rileigh was taken to a neurologist, as well as several other specialists,
who did not see any reason for concern. Six month later, that same neurologist diagnosed her with Autism,
or PDD. Although Rileigh's language was very characteristic of children with autism, she remained very
social and often behaved like a typical child. However, life in the Lukes' house was far from typical. Every
day was a day of home programs and driving to various therapy centers so Rileigh could receive OT, PT and
Speech Therapy. Obtaining the services Rileigh needed was always a struggle.
Like many families whose children are affected by autism, the Lukes family researched the latest treatments. Rileigh was put on the gluten-free, casein-free diet and responded. Later, the Defeat Autism Now protocol was used and each day Rileigh's autistic behaviors diminished. However, the ability to comprehend language and express herself continued to be very difficult for Rileigh. After moving to Temecula in 2004, Rileigh was finally seen by a neurologist in San Diego who correctly diagnosed with her Landau Kleffner Syndrome (LKS). Although they had access to the medical services Rileigh required, finding a pediatric clinic that offered the therapies she needed was difficult to find in Temecula. The family drove to San Diego, Oceanside, Encinitas and Orange County to obtain the services for Rileigh.
 Currently, the Lukes family is still on their journey trying to find the effective medical treatment for LKS as well as appropriate educational services. Although Rileigh is a happy, loving and determined little girl, she has been through a lot for a nine year old. The whole family has. Autism, PDD, LKS, whatever you call it, affects the entire family. Rileigh is still on her road to recovery and Ken and Lynne continue to educate themselves about autism and LKS. They advocate for Rileigh whenever necessary so that she may have all that life has to offer. |
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