I knew J was different from 2 months old. He was my 4th child and cried all the time. He developed but was slow to make eye contact. He smiled and was happy as long as things went his way, but wouldn't talk to anyone. He would say the sounds animals make but not say mama. I sought help from his dr. He said that he was fine. I knew better and bought videos that helped non-verbal kids to talk. He began to speak. Eating was an issue. He vomited every meal. By 3 y.o., he would only eat chicken nuggets, and fries and had no impulse control. He would rage! He rarely played with toys but once, I gave him a toy dinosaur. He loved it and asked for more. By now we had baby number 5. He helped to save J. His "I do it by myself" attitude made me push J in ways I hadn't before. J became capable as he watched his brother and as we expected more of him. At 5, I began to home school him through charter school and he went twice a week to class. I sought help from his dr. who still said he was fine. My mom's heart knew better. I entered college, studying special needs children. I saw shades of J in my textbooks. We began the interventions that I learned. J is 14 now and doing so well. He is an A student and is gentle, empathetic, and very relational. He has social anxiety and is still picky about food. He was 13 before we got a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. He's in peer group therapy, learning to cope with anxiety and to interact with the world around him. He has a small area of interest but we work to broaden it. We still home school.Please don't deny signs of your child being on the spectrum. J's better for the early intervention he got from a family that pushed him to learn to live in this world that isn't always kind. He knows he's different, but that's okay!

Anonymous
Inland Empire, CA