My son might be mildly autistic

[TracyD]

And that is one of the hardest things for me to admit.

Dh and I went to talk to the school psychologist yesterday, to give her our input in what we see with Thomas as far as social interactions, etc... in preparation for his upcoming IEP meeting.

Well, she had us go over something she was using (not in a diagnostic sense, but in a descriptive sense) of characteristics of austism spectrum disorder. And to be dead honest, Thomas does seem to have traits of autism, though decidedly on the mild side.

And of course, this wasn't a diagnosis. But dh and I can see its a strong possibility. we're scheduled to see a developmental pediatrician in July (soonest we could get an appointment), so maybe then we can get a more firm diagnosis.

Its heartbreaking in a lot of ways because there is an uncertainty knowing is that what it IS, and of course the uncertainty of his future. (Although someone with a mild form of autism has more possibilities open to them than someone with a severe case.)

I guess I just needed to "talk" about it. (I admit, I lost control last night, program-wise.. and yes, it changed nothing, but I am putting it behind me and moving on.)

graemlins/bcbsalute.gif
TracyD

[ClaremoreZebraBandMom0407]

Tracy - I hope everything turns out to be positive. I just wanted to let you know, when I was a child, a dr told my mom that I had a mild form of autism. I would space out, wouldn't talk or answer anyone. Always sitting on the floor in front of the tv and moving my upper body in circles, wiggle my feet constantly etc.

I'm not sure what happened, but I'm not autistic. I don't think drs. know everything all the time. Thankfully, my parents didn't treat me any different than anyone else. I didn't go to counseling, take any medicine, I was just me. Yes, I still wiggle my feet constantly, but I think it's just a nervous habit.

Don't freak out. Some drs just don't know what they're talking about.

[keepontrying]

Tracy - Your son is really young for any kind of definitive diagnosis and there is a very good possibility that he is not autistic at all. That said,
I am a preshcool teacher and one of my all time favorite children was diagnosed with mild autism when he was around three. He is now 7. He is one of the most delightful and engaging children I have ever known. He is extremely bright and can solve all kinds of complex technical problems. He has some difficluty making friends because he tends to be impulsive but once people get to know him really like him. I have heard that there is a high incidence of autistic children born of extremely bright computer specialists in Silicon Valley. Some even say that autism is just a different type of intelligence and that many bright logical thinkers have some degree of it. Your son always sounds adorable, and whatever the outcome, he will grow up to have a great deal to offer the world. He is lucky to have such a loving and dedicated mom.

[Heaklea]

I am glad that you are taking steps to get a good diagonises. As an educator, I can tell when children have symptoms of certain exceptionalities, but I am not qualified to "label" a child. That being said, I have had children with autism in my classroom. Of course, they were highly functional Autistic. They had no difficulty with the school work. The one big difference I noticed was they were more comfortable with parrell play rather than direct interaction with peers. I also noticed they did not have the same sense of humor as the other children. They were both great kids, well liked by others, invited to birthday parties, ect.

It is so wise to get a medical checkup and recommendations for accomidations. Without documentation, your child may not get the services he needs. I don't believe autism is a new disease. I think people had it for years, and just didn't know why they were different.

BTW, autism does not mean a low IQ or an inability to learn.

Good luck to you.
Heather

[TracyD]

Buddies,

Thanks for the kind words. I'm still seesawing back and forth, but dh and I have made the decision that until we get a frim diagnosis we are going to act under the assumption that Thomas is autistic. Of course it changes nothing in terms of how much we love him. smile.gif And we agree that if he IS, he is mildly so given that he's so social and he is pretty flexible in terms of routines, etc. His main difficulties are talking (only a few signs and words), mild avoidance of eye contact. I'm not too sure how his peer interaction is at school and daycare. (Something I intend to follow up on)

TracyD

[CordyC]

Tracy, I thought about this a long time before putting pen to paper (or, fingers to keyboard). There is an "advantage" to having the situation clarified in regards to Thomas' diagnosis, because you will now have access to a vast network of resources you can take advantage of, including the support of parents who are experiencing similar things to you. You can share, vent, mentor, etc., and so on. Sound familiar?

Hang in there and remember that the only label that really counts for your kid is "Thomas".

[harminy40]

Tracy - I know what you are going through. My 12 year old daughter is mildly mentally retarded. 4 yrs ago her life skills teacher told me that at her ARD meeting we were going over her testing results and that is what the tests were showing .... I knew it was what we were going to talk about and I knew it on my own anyways...but at the meeting when it was said out loud, "your daughter is mentally retarded" I cried, her dad cried, the diagnotition cried, and her teacher cried.

We can just love our children unconditionally, help them in any way we can and pray to GOD that he will always watch over them!!! My daughter is very special to me - she is the reason I am on this journey to getting healthy, bc I worry about her future and I want to be here for years and years to be here for her..(whether she thinks she needs me or not!!!!) smile.gif

I sending prayers for you and your family.

[WhereForArt]

Tracy, I would advise you to start reading up on everything you can find about autism. My nephew is four and diagnosed with autism (his is not severe, but not mild either), and is now undergoing behavioral therapy (Applied Behavior Analysis - ABA) that has worked wonders for him. Not everyone agrees with this therapy, and there are certainly other forms of treatment out there.

However, whatever you do, it pays to start as early as possibly no matter what treatment you use. You can find lots of information at http://www.autism-society.org and there are dozens and dozens of websites out there with very useful information.

There was a very interesting article on autism in last week's NY Times -- I saved the online version to send to my brother. If you're interested in reading it, PM me and I'll email it to you.

Good luck -- as I'm sure you realize, it's not the end of the world, but if the diagnosis is correct, it will take a lot of dedication and hard work on your end. In the end it's worth it, though -- children with autism have an excellent chance of becoming very worthwhile and productive members of society.

[ March 06, 2004, 06:28 PM: Message edited by: WhereForArt ]

[SSKatie]

(((((Tracy))))) Getting this identified and out in the open is a good thing (no reference to Martha, I swear! smile.gif ), just like Cordy said.

You know, there are SO many "labels" out there for conditions, behaviors, physical illnesses/ailments and such that I think we all probably have one or two! The LEAST of mine is "eccentric"! LOL! :D

Love to you and your little guy, buddy! graemlins/kiss.gif