I won't lie and tell you it wasn't like a punch in the gut to hear the doctor say that he is 100% confident Tyce is on the autism spectrum and that he has asperger's.
It was hard to hear, even though I already knew it in my heart going into the evaluation.
The eval was interesting. The doc spent 2 hours with us, all the while observing Tyce and doing an IQ test. He was watching for Tyce's ability to do the test (difficult puzzles, matching, etc) as well as his communication ability, social reciprocity, eye contact and attention span.
Tyce scored very high on his IQ test, which in and of itself doesn't mean anything. But you couple that with Tyce's poor eye contact, lack of meaningful communication and gesturing and his tendency to become fixated on certain things and you have a child with Asperger's.
I am so motivated to learn more about this diagnosis that both my children have. It is hard to wrap my head around the fact they have the same disorder- they are both SO different in most respects so their issues are very different right now.
I guess at this point I am feeling overwhelmed at the responsibility I have as their mother and primary therapist. The doctor told me I have to capitalize on opportunities to teach Tyce to make eye contact, point, speak, show affection, be with other kids without anxiety.....and so much more. He said I need to give Tyce a lot of social exposure and during playgroups I can't just simply sit back, relax and let him play. I have to be right there. Helping him look at other kids, making him hand other kids toys, help him learn their names and help him cope with his social anxiety.
The thing that's hard is he was a social little guy from 12-18 months. He used to really be playful with other kids. But that stopped suddenly and since then he's become more and more withdrawn from kids and other people. He seems in his own little cave.
It's my job to get him out and push him a little in these areas he's struggling with.
So there's my simple thoughts for today on a very complicated topic.
Oh, and I threw out my back yesterday and I'm on Lortab, Flexoral, Ibuprofen and Tylenol. My brain is fuzzy.
The sun'll come out tomorrow...right?
3 comments:
Oh, Laura! You've been feeling it in your gut for a while now, huh? As painful as the diagnosis is I bet it's a relief to officially know, and while he is really young too. A mother's instinct, that's for sure (well, that or personal revelation). You are amazing and those boys were put in the right home!
I'm glad to learn a bit more about this thanks to you. Most of us will have children in our lives- whether through parenting, church callings, or friendships- and any info will be beneficial to know. So, thanks for being so open and willing to share your knowledge & feelings. xoxo
laura I'm sorry, I'm sure that was really hard to hear. I hope you'll share more of it, it's a topic I'm really interested in.
My heart really goes out to you. But things will be fine,Stay positive.
You are an amazing Mom and these two boys are so lucky to have you!
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