Conner was born 2 weeks early....he was seemingly a very healthy baby at birth. I noticed a few things, like how easily he was to startle, that he didn't seem to sleep well, that he cried a lot.. I thought that this was all normal newborn stuff..I started to breastfeed, he didn't take well to it, his suck wasn't very good, and he would scream and cry when ever he would come off the breast. Bringing him home wasn't any easier, I cried as much as he did. 2 wks of trying to nurse failed miserably. He didn't gain well, he didn't nurse well, he screamed at everything, and I mean screamed like he was in pain.There was no different cries....
as he grew he was always late or on the verge of late for milestones. He still didn't sleep well. He was obsessed with ceiling fans, floreresent lights were calming. He didn't like loud noises, would cry when we went out, got over stimulated easily Not to mention the bowel issues we dealt with on a daily basis.
at 15 months he wasn't pulling to stand, he wasn't cruising, It was then that he was referred to therapy. He was diagnosed with low muscle tone (hypotonia), that effected more then I realized. At 24 months he wasn't speaking, back for another eval, this time with speech......
He had and still has severe sensory disorders, he wasn't potty trained until age 5 due to bowel issues..At age 6 he was finally diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome, after 2 years of testing and complaints from his school...He didn't make friends, he wasn't able to understand how kids play, he doesn't like change of any kind, He was very rigid on his routine, He craved and needed one on one attention from the teachers to learn. He would have meltdowns, or most often then not, would just completely shut down, and sit doing nothing..
we now homeschool, he's come a long way, but there is still so far he needs to go....Some things have changed, more then some has stayed the same.
Milton, FL
