Tesney Davis always knew she wanted to adopt a child with different abilities, but she never checked the box for Autism. When she discovered her adopted son with Down Syndrome had an additional diagnosis, her world changed, yet so did her mindset. Now, Tesney is a mother of two children, Kirill (12), who has a dual diagnosis of Down Syndrome and Autism, and Clayton (12), her biological son, who has inherited his mom's sarcasm gene and sweet tooth.
Kirill was adopted from Russia at the age of five, thanks to what Tesney calls, “the first miracle she’s ever witnessed.” After months of living in Russia with only a few days clothing packed and fighting the court’s initial denial, Tesney and her husband finally brought their son home. Kirill’s extraordinary adoption story has made a profound impact on his family, as well as Tesney’s social media community. She advocates for children with a dual diagnosis with raw and beautiful messages on her Instagram account: @downwithautism.
Today, we’re tackling an important, yet not often heard, conversation. Join us and Tesney Davis as we discuss breaking down the barriers that moms of kids with Autism often feel, accommodating and including children with Autism, and reaching parents of the 8-9% of kids who have dual diagnosis. (This statistic and more is available in the links below.)
Connect with Tesney Davis
Learn more about having a dual diagnosis:
- Statistics on Autism from Autism Speaks
- Statistics on Autism from the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Information on Dual Diagnosis from NDSS (National Down Syndrome Society)
- Autism Clinic, University of Alabama
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