"KEY SYMPTOMS OF ASD"

I have been telling so far my experience with my sons autism.  The red flags, his signs of the autism spectrum disorder.  No two children on the spectrum are alike.  The spectrum can range from mild to very severe.

I have been studying on this topic going over  4 years.  Every time there is a new idea about treatment, I have to watch or read that article.  I want to know and understand what other parents, like myself, go through to teach and handle their child with autism.  How to handle their sensory overloads.  How to advert their attention away from their autistic traits.  How to be more social.

As a new parent, you see your child as flawless.  As baby's they are so beautiful and fragile.  You want nothing other than the best care and security for them.  As they grow and you see that child roll over for the first time, it brings tears of joy to your eyes.  Then you see them take their first steps.  You hear their first words.  But then all of a sudden, they stop talking.  What's that about?  Does it make you think, or do you just go on to wait and hope it comes back?

These are more of the key symptoms of autism in infants:

No joyful expressions or big smiles by 6 months

No sharing of sounds or facial expressions by 9 months

No baby babbling by 12 months

No showing of gestures such as pointing, waving, showing or reaching by 12 months

No 2 word meaningful sentences by 24 months (by not repeating)

Loss of speech, babbling or social skills at any age

I never understood how a child younger then the age of 2 could be diagnosed.  The professionals know and can spot the signs as clear as you can read these words. 

I waited to see if my sons routines would break themselves.  That his speech would return and we could understand him.  That his sensory overloads were just behavior that would change in time.  I regret the wait.  I should have taken him in to get him screened sooner.

EARLY SIGNS OF AUTISM AND MY DENIAL

We were involved in a program called Birth To Three when Dane was 2 and a half.  The county got us on this program because we let our family doctor know we were having troubles getting Dane to talk.  The most he could do to communicate at the time was whine and cry while pointing.  The trouble was: What is he pointing at?  What does he want?  The doctor made the call and referred us.  If she had not I don't know where we would have started.

Christmas 2007 Dane received a toy dump truck for a present.  The first and only thing he did was flip it over and spin the wheels.  The same went for a toy wagon we had.  You could put blocks in this wheel in the center and music would play.  He would spin that wheel so fast sometimes he would get his fingers pinched.  Anything that could spin, Dane would spin it.  He would sit and examine what kinds of spins were resulting in.  This came to saucers and spoons as well.  Nothing else mattered.

I taught him how the light switch worked when he was little.  It wasn't long until he had to always flip switches.  Cries of anger and tantrums broke out unless he could turn the light on and off before leaving the room.  We would visit friends and family and he would search the house for switches and flip every one.  That was his main concern.  Everyone in the room did not exist to him.

Many of these routines were going on.  He started lining up blocks and matchbox cars.  If you moved one out of line, you broke his routine.  He threw a fit.  Still, I did not know what was going on.  "This is all part of being a kid.  He will outgrow these weird routines."  So I thought.

My denial seeing certain signs of autism and still not wanting to think anything was wrong.  Birth to Three would use the term; (Red Flags).  The doctor said it's a possibility of autism.

I was seeing billboards that had a young girl on it that said. "Autism Speaks.  1 out of 100 children are diagnosed with autism every day!"  I would look at that billboard everyday for a year before turning on the road to go to my house.  Still, I would shake my head and say, "No, that's not my son.  He's fine."  Funny how life was telling me but I just looked away.  After he was tested, that sign turned into an Army sign.  Just that fast.  Strange?

If I could turn back the clock 1 year sooner to have him tested I would.  It is a very long wait and have your child in line for testing.  We had it set up the first time.  They said it was a long wait.  Over a year. One week later they called and said they had an opening.  I couldn't believe this.  "Yeah, long wait.  We can get him in next week?  This is some ploy to scare us into getting him tested.  The hospital just wants our money!"  We let it go.  We were seeing improvements with Dane.

Time went by and he regressed.  This is after my daughter Allyson was born.  "He wants to be the baby."  I thought.  Still denying anything wrong.

When Dane started school, the teachers recommend we have him tested.  That was the final moment for me to make my mind known that there are symptoms of autism.  "We have to get him tested."  We made the call.

Again the hospital said.  "It's a long list."  History repeated itself and we were luckily able to get him tested.  This still boggles my mind.  If there is such a long list of those to be tested, how were we lucky enough to get in within a couple weeks!  Is that the scare tactic to get your child tested?  Or, was it fate that helped us?

I just hope that if you have concerns over your child to not wait and see.  This took a year off of early intervention and therapy that could have helped my son.  Do not make the same mistake I did.  Get your child tested ASAP!

"INTENSIVE THERAPY"

Today was to be the first of many intensive 3 hour treatments for my sons autism.  We are expected to go 2 days a week.  We were advised to get around 40 hours in home treatment for intensive therapy.  That would complicate things further we thought.  Not to mention they canceled his 1st appointment today.  That was disappointing because I could have went with to meet the doctors and what they will do.  The other times, I will be at work and miss out.

My wife and I work opposite shifts.  We are practically 2 single parents raising our 2 children.  We want to get top of the line specialists who know how to treat this.  During these sessions he will see 4 different doctors who will work with different types of his social disorders.

We want to eliminate his sensory meltdowns.  We want to break his routines without him getting so upset.  He is very heartbroken over almost everything.  The phone rings.  I start talking.  He will stand there and cry until he says hello on the phone.  No matter who is on the other line.  After he says hello, bingo, all better.

When I do laundry, he will be upstairs playing.  As soon as I push the dryer button to start he runs downstairs and throws a fit.  "Push start!  Let me do it!"  He tantrums just over the push of a button.  This goes for starting the microwave and making toast.  It's alright if he is there and I will let him do it.  I should not have to go out of my way to get him just to push the button to advert a tantrum.

People look at him and see nothing wrong.  He is a beautiful, sweet boy.  They just don't see what it is like all day dealing with keeping him happy.  He is very smart and he likes to sing along to music.  He likes Lady Gaga and Justin Beiber.

Autism is known as the silent disease.  On the outside, the person looks normal.  On the inside, however, their brain is wired completely different.  They see the world in a whole different way.  This is why as parents we need to spread Autism Awareness.  1 in 100 children are diagnosed every day.  It may affect you or someone you know.

COMMUNICATION - WHAT'S WRONG?

Something has been off with Dane the past several days.  He has been getting back into the routine habits of taking all the pots and pans saucer lids and spinning them.  He has been away from that for some time.  This is all part of his autism.

After he came home from school Monday he was spinning around and finding all other things to spin.  He will get a big saucer top and two other smaller tops and put them together to look like Mickey Mouse's head.  That's pretty smart!  Then, eventually, all of the saucer lids will be spinning around in our dining room.  I guess routines, no matter how old are still hard to break at certain times.

We noticed a slight cough on him.  He didn't feel feverish and he didn't say he felt sick.  We sent him off to school after some decongestant cough syrup.  His teacher said he had a good day

Tuesday he had daycare with his younger sister.  Come home I thought he looked a little pale.  Still, "How are you feeling?"  No answer.  *Coughs*

He really likes laying in front of the space heater.  I remember when I was little that I used to lay on the forced air vents of my parents furnace.  Something about the calm heat that everyone likes as kids.  We made him a little bed on the floor so he can sleep by it.  It has been so cold out lately and the air really cuts through the house.

Early this morning he really had a bad cough.  He was curled in a tight ball in front of the heater.  We felt his head and back.  He was burning up!  He has a 102 degree fever and still says nothing about how he feels.

A parent knows when their child is getting sick.  Most times the signs are obvious as far as a fever, sneeze or cough.  However, when the child has a stomach ache or a head ache, how can we as parents determine what is wrong then?