Leo Egbers wasn’t meeting some developmental milestones at nine months of age. His mother, Viviana Egbers, said she wasn’t overly concerned at that time.

“His symptoms didn’t scream autism,” said Egbers, whose primary concern was a speech delay. Their pediatrician sent a referral to Child and Family Connections of Central Illinois for an early intervention evaluation.

Then, they waited. By the time Leo received an initial evaluation, he was 20 months old. A few months after his autism diagnosis, Leo drowned in a pond behind his house.