April is Autism Awareness Month

I know that April is on its way out, but I wanted to post about autism and how it's affected our family.

April is National Autism Awareness Month. While there is much speculation about what causes autism, the actual cause of autism is unknown. It is estimated that 1 in 166 children will be diagnosed with autism, which is an alarmingly high statistic. If you already have a child with autism, the chances of having another child with autism jump to 1 in 7.

We have two children diagnosed with autism. Our oldest:

And youngest:

Both of our sons have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (AS). Persons with AS have many of the social and sensory issues that those with typical autism have, but the differences are that their speech is intact and they often have normal to above normal intelligence. In other words, they are generally less severely impacted and better equipped to handle most of everyday life. Many are eventually able to move out and support themselves; some even marry and have families.

However, Asperger's Syndrome comes with certain challenges.Persons with AS have a hard time discerning social cues, especially body language and the importance of eye contact. They often avoid being in large groups, and get easily overwhelmed with social situations. They tend to be unable to see things from another person's perspective, and are often unable to pick up on the unwritten social "rules" such as personal body space. Personal hygiene and grooming can be lacking, especially since they fail to see how it relates to social acceptance. Repetitive movements such as hand flapping can be present; this is known as "stimming". People with AS are often highly sensitive to the world around them; everyday sights, sounds, and even smells that you or I are able to tune out often assault their senses almost unbearably. This can make it difficult for these individuals to stay focused on things, and may cause disregulation (meltdowns), especially in children. Anxiety can be a huge issue, and a common coping mechanism is finding comfort in routines. As a result, many individuals with AS are very inflexible and have an extremely hard time with schedule disruption. Persons with Asperger's Syndrome often become quite obsessed with one idea or subject. They also tend to be very literal, and have a hard time with abstract ideas. This leads them to look at the world with a black and white perspective.

We have dealt with every one of these different issues with our sons to varying degrees. Yes, it can be difficult; however, there are some definite strengths that come with Asperger's Syndrome.

Both of our sons are extremely intelligent, especially when it comes to spatial relations and sight recognition. They both have near photographic memories; in fact, I think that Bronson is a walking encyclopedia :) They both posses advanced vocabularies, and are often able to make quite impressive logical deductions. They can be very persistent when it comes to learning about the subject they are interested in, and they quickly become quite knowledgeable in that area.

I think it's easy for parents to become sad or angry - or both - when their child is diagnosed with special needs. I know I've experienced both emotions. However, it's critical to focus on the abilities of the child, rather than the things they can't do. It takes some adjustment of the hopes and dreams you had for that child, but it is important that you keep those hopes and dreams, as well as setting realistic expectations and goals. There is so much they CAN do - given the chance. I am a huge advocate of early intervention when it comes to any type of developmental delay or disability. Bronson had a late diagnosis, due to the fact that Asperger's Syndrome was still relatively unknown when he was a young child. As a result, he really struggled in elementary school. Mathison received his diagnosis early, and we're already taking steps to try and minimize some of his autistic behaviors in hopes it will help him have an easier time in school. It will be interesting to see what happens this time around.

And the future? Of course, we hope - and plan - for the best. But until then, we do the best we can....one day at a time. In the meantime, we'll continue to enjoy our sons and the unique differences they bring to the world :)