Moms Who Have a Child with Autism Spectrum High Functioning

He sounds like a typical three year old to me. These days it seems like
everything comes under the "spectrum." Most three year old become
interested in one particular thing. My boys it was fire trucks, my daughter
horses. My boys are firefighters, my daughter owns two horses, teaches
riding and trains horses. So I guess their obsession paid off. Really he
sounds normal to me and I would have to say he will grow up to be a fine
young man.

My son is 7 and he has high functioning autism. He is receiving a lot of services right now and my goal is for him to go to college and to be able to develop a career that has something to do with what interests him most in the world -- animals. I am already talking to him about various careers like being a marine biologist, zoo keeper, veterinarian, animal behaviorist. He's in general ed 2nd grade right now and does receive special ed support. He's not a straight A student but he's working at or above grade level and I am expecting more of the same from him in the years to come.

I do expect him to be independent one day. Right now, I am giving him all of the support he needs to help him learn the skills that he needs to be able to hold his own with his peers and in school (social skills training, tutoring, speech and occupational therapy) to prepare him for his future. What we are doing is teaching him in a way that is meaningful and motivating for him.

There have been so many people over the years who have felt it was their duty to tell me what my son can't do. Thank God I haven't listen to them. If I had, he'd probably stuck in a self-contained classroom, not talking and stimming with his plastic animals. He's surpassed all of their expectations but certainly not mine.

Always remember, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." (Les Brown) Don't let anyone tell you what your child can or cannot do. They have no way of knowing what your son is capable of and we, as a society, are only just beginning to learn that we have done a big disservice to all of the ASD kids in the past who were automatically institutionalized when they received the diagnosis.

When you get a chance, I highly suggest reading Temple Grandin's books, Emergence and Thinking in Pictures. Both are very insightful and will give you hope for you son's future.

Blessings to you and your son.

My 18 year old son has Asperger's and has been accepted into two different colleges. Like your son, he obsesses on certain topics that other people do not find interesting or understand, such as capacitors on motherboards, detailed electrical circuits, etc. He is planning on becoming an electrical engineer, and I think he will be good at that. I am hoping he will choose the college that allows him to still live at home, but I think he will be able to live in a dorm. His challenges will be time management, getting along with peers, remembering to take care of personal hygeine without prompting, and money management. These are things he will have to do eventually and the best way he can learn is by experience. That being said, he has come a long way. He has been managing his homework without prompts all year this year - his senior year. He applied for the colleges and has won scholarships without our intervention. So the answer, is yes - your son can likely one day have a bright future, and the therapies from a young age are vital to making that happen.

Contact Headstart and ask what therapies are available for him. My granddaughter has a form of high functioning Autisim. There are a lot of things you can do to make dealing with an Austistic child easier. Check out the Autisim Speaks web site and the Autisim diet. Make sure he doesn't get any MSG or yorgurt in his diet both of these can make an Autistic violent and have those meltdowns they can be famous for.
Autistics can lead a normal life Donald Trump, Bill Gates and Dan Ackroyd all have Aspergers, Dan Ackroyd also has Tourettes. They have all become a success in life.

A.,
You can request he be tested in alot of areas, to see where his
deficits ,if any ,are. I have a 10 yr old grandson with Autism and he is very high functioning. He is in the 7th grade, (home schooled and doing great), but he has problems with things like remembering to look both ways before crossing a street, not knowing to keep his hands off burners on the stove when they are on, etc. He says whatever he thinks, good or bad, and doesn't realize some things he says and does hurt other people. He will be able to eventually get a license to drive, and do as many things as most people do as adults, but we're not sure if he'll be able to live by himself as an adult, the good news is, there will be options ! He questions everything,and can be very analytical but, for the most part thats a good thing ! Keep a positive attitude and the sky is the limit ! Join a support group to see what other parents have experienced , there is alot to learn as a parent or caregiver for these special children, I mean this in a good way !

Best of Luck to you and your son, C. S.

A.,

Our ABA therapist just told us about another family whose ASD child had his diagnosis "lifted" at age 6. This means that if that 6 year old walked into the doctor's office for the first time he would not have been diagnosed at all.

In addition, our developmental pediatrician said she would not be surprised if our son "outgrew" his diagnosis.

So it does happen, but even if it doesn't, there are still adults with high functioning ASD issues that are independent and there is lot of support for adults with the diagnosis too.

My advice is to keep your child in as much therapy as you can. Look into pre-school disabled programs and/or integrated programs. Your son and mine will both be productive, independent members of society.

Good luck,
R

Did you go to a Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician? There is a special test that they use (or several) to diagnose autism and it takes a lot more than talking about certain subjects a lot. The test that the ND pediatrician gave our son gave him a score of 4. 6-11 is considerid High Functioning Autism. I am not saying your son has or does not have autism, its just that the criteria has broadened and there is not blood test, just the doctor's evaluation of the child. Since he does has concerning behaviors, get him as much therapy as possible now, including the town's preschool and he should be just fine.

Find a specialist and find ways to work with your son on social issues. I think AS means Asperger's? If so, no I'm not a Mom of an AS child, but an aunt. Socially feeling like he fits in has been my nephews biggest challenge, but my sister did not get a diagnosis until he was much older.

I think your son will be fine because you are intervening early. I'm sure you know Asperger adults and just don't know it. Just be willing to push your son, consider an appropriate private school if you can afford it. Keep him involved. There are even colleges that have special programs to mentor Asperger kids.

Have you been watching American Idol this year? James Durben has High functioning Autism and Terretts. Also one of my friends her husband wasnt actually diagnosed till he was an adult, Which now explains for his social issues and not being able to keep a job. He has been in therapy now for it and is getting better. Your child will have a great head start.