Aspergers Syndrome: An Autism Spectrum Disorder

Our child showed the first signs of autism at eighteen months of age. These signs were not playing with toys appropriately, very little babbling, resistance to play with wet substances or textures, resistance to transitions or change, frequent tantrums, and poor fine motor skills. Because of these symptoms we took our child for a developmental screening in which a team of specialists test your child in the areas of language, speech, social interaction, fine motor skills, and gross motor skills. At this young age, the team of specialists then also listen to parent reports and observations of their child. After this testing, a report is written and the parents are  told where their child should be developmentally at this age, and where their child actual is in their own personal development. Our child had significant delays in speech, language, social interaction, and fine motor skills. The team of specialists then made their suggestions. Based on their input, our son began speech, behavior, and occupational therapy in our home. We also increased social interaction with children his same age and began even more play dates with typical children as well as developmentally delayed children. At the age of three, in the state of Florida, the home therapy that was somewhat provided for by the state and our insurance company ended. At this point, children are encouraged to begin a preschool program specifically designed for children with developmental delays in all and any areas, and is provided by the state through the public school system. Many children are  then classified as developmentally delayed, or D.D. on their I.E.P., or Individualized Education Program. The preschool program in Florida is called Pre-K V.E., with the V.E. referring to various exceptionalities. In my son's preschool class many of the children had minor speech delays, behavior problems, and motor delays while some children had more obvious disabilities such as Downs syndrome. This program worked wonders for our son. We saw huge strides in his speech, behavior, social interactions, and fine motor skills. His teacher was also a  Behavior Analyst and helped us implement a home behavior plan. When he was first placed in this class, I voiced my concerns and fears that our child might have autism disorder. The teacher told us she would do her best to observe our child and continue to work with him, but she was not qualified to make a diagnosis. She did say that she also had concerns for him and that we should consult a specialist. At age three and a half we took our son to a highly recommended developmental pediatrician who diagnosed him with high functioning autism. We took the diagnosis to our son's school so that it could be placed in his school records. The school advised us that it would be wise to obtain a second evaluation from a psychologist. We then took our son to a highly recommended neuropsychologist, who was known to have a good understanding of autism. She also agreed that he suffered from autism, but differed in her opinion off the type of autism he exhibited. She was convinced that he suffered from aspergers syndrome. She believed that as he grew older, we would start to see the typical characteristics of aspergers emerge. She was correct!

Some of our son's biggest struggles have been in the area of concentration and focus. For awhile we tried some mild stimulants to assist him with staying on task during school time. We found that he does not tolerate the medication well as it tends to make him more nervous as well as causes him to have facial tics. Our son's biggest struggle has seemed to be his anxiety. He becomes anxious about heights, entering and exiting elevators, entering and exiting escalators, and is deeply saddened by death or people being injured. He is very sensitive to smells and for a long time had a very difficult time sitting in the school cafeteria due to the many variety of strong odors. As a smaller child, he was very disturbed by getting wet or messy and would not participate in many table time activities such as finger painting or playing with shaving cream. To help our child overcome and deal with these issues, we tried our best to explain why doing these particular things, such as riding an elevator are safe and that we are his parents and will not allow any harm to come to him. He has gotten braver as the years go on, by learning that he "can" do certain things and no harm has come to him. He has also benefited from the use of a mild anti depression/anti anxiety medication, Prozac. Not only has this assisted with his anxiety, it has also helped lesson his negative reaction to strong odors. As he gets older, his obsessions continue to change from time to time. Some of his favorite topics are dinosaurs, space, Pokemon, reptiles, among others. I strongly recommend encouraging your child's interests and learning by investing in encyclopedia and books that discuss their particular interests and hobbies.Many children with autism spectrum disorders suffer from sleep disorders. We have found Melatonin and Valerian Root supplements to help our son sleep more soundly. Discuss any medication or supplements use with your child's doctor before beginning a treatment plan on your own. Also, our son adores his two pets very much. His cats are very gentle with him and he enjoys playing with them every day. He greets them first to begin each day. Aspergers syndrome does make parenting more of a challenge, but as long as you have a positive outlook, a loving attitude, and a good support system, there is no reason why your child cannot live a normal life. Our son is in a regular third grade with added support from his special education teachers. What is normal and who decides what normal actually is? We choose to see our son as a bright, creative miracle child. That is more spectacular than being "normal" to our family!