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That's the speech therapist's job- to get him talking. They work with kids that are not talking, kids that have processing issues, kids that say their r's wrong- the latter is not what they really do, the bigger issues are what they are trained to help with. I would get him in ST as soon as you can. It can make a big difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by Twins6boysinall
i would take advantages of the services. however, it might be beneficial for you to get a second opinion.
follow your instincts!
My father was diagnosed with Aspergers two years ago. His entire life (AND MINE!) came flashing before his eyes and suddenly things made *sense*. He's truly a difficult individual since the diagnosis. It's very bizarre, really.
I was 24 weeks pregnant. He was flown to Amsterdam to do some work with a woman for a Montesoori type learning thing, and she has quite a big disability so was in a wheelchair. He was pushing her around a park and he was talking, and she stopped him and said, "I think you have Aspergers."
This had never been uttered to my father before, in all his 55 years of life. It never entered his mind. It really took him aback.
When he got back to his hotel, he googled it and began reading and he felt very much weighed down and overwhelmed but yet everything was clicking in his mind.
This woman then flew him over to the UK to have a 4 night visit to see me. We had just moved into our house. He told me what she said and on my own, I looked it up later that night and MY mind was blown. It was him nearly word for word!
When he got back to the States, he got an appointment with his doctor to be properly tested and diagnosed - which he did end up having Aspergers.
He began thinking back on his life and reevaluating everything - why my mother responded to him the way she did when they were married, his relationships in general with people - colleagues, friends, partners, family, his own children; he felt depressed (deeply depressed) in the beginning but now he is a completely different person - he's quite happy these days.
As for me, my father is a very intelligent, interesting man... he's very fine-tuned focused to the things that interest him and often this could get quite annoying growing up. I also never understood ways he interacted with other people and as a kid, it was always deeply embarrassing. Now I feel like I understand him more. The awful thing is my mother said that if she had known, she might still be married to him. Unfortunately, that's just how it is.
He used to call me constantly and talk at me, rather than ever listen to me... and it would be hard to get him off the phone. Now he doesn't call nearly as often. As terrible as that may sound, it's just because he's got himself in check and when he does call, he's very relaxed, he listens to me, and doesn't talk at me without giving me a moment to respond... and this is just regular back and forth conversation. Before it was intense and exhausting. Our relationship is so much better now.
Basically, what I'm saying, is if their diagnosis is correct... this could be a good thing, because it can affect people in later life, however if they know beforehand it might be very beneficial to not so much as have a "label", but more so understand themselves. My father wishes he had known when he was a child as it would have likely changed the entire course of his life in a more positive way, especially with how he interacted with others and within his business (he never managed well as an employee with a boss... he spent most of his life being his own boss... now we know why!)
Anyway... nothing is WRONG with your child. Not at all! It's a way to know them even more completely.
*hug*
Lovely for sharing suregena!! Amazing story about your father!
He has really gone through A LOT in the past 2 years. And it was very intense for him - but I think it's a good thing we all know now. Everything just feels better, oddly.
isnt that weird, kids with autism and ipads. my daughter (6 now) was diagnosed with ASD when she was 3 and it was around the same time we got her an ipad. She was a whiz with it! she could do things i couldnt work out how to do. She also managed to rack me up a $50 bill spending up on apps (which landed us a short article in the paper lol) when my friends son was diagnosed with aspergers she also got him an ipad and its practically his best friend. there are so many good apps for kids with autism no matter the severity (my daughter is quite mild) as for the special schooling, i guess it will depend on how severe it is. my daughter started school this year and she goes to a normal school, shes actually doing SO much better than i thought she would (i wasted a year stressing about it last year) she is a little behind her peers but not as much as i thought she would be, she also has a lot of friends but her school is zero tolerance for bullying and has a attached speech class with a lot of deaf kids/special needs kids (much more severe than she) and so i think it helps when they have a lot of 'different' kids there, not just one kid who's not quite right and becomes a target. it kind of becomes normal do you know what i mean? maybe you can look for a school like that, i know it really makes a huge difference which school your child grows up in and you should be choosy!
My DS1 is on the spectrum as well...not officially diagnosed though yet, that is our next step. He adores the ipad and he has learned so much from it.
I totally get what you mean about the heartbreak of knowing your child won't grow up to have a normal life. I get sad here and there thinking about my son's future but I remember then to be thankful it isn't something worse. :-)