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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Spriggy on April 19, 2005, at 21:41:16
My oldest son (just turned 10, yeah.. how can that be since I'm only 18? LOL), has autism.
He was diagnosed 6 years ago and I swear I still grieve from time to time.
I sit and wonder "who he might have been" etc..
Sometimes it almost feels like a death. I suppose a death of what I expected and my dreams for him.
Nonetheless, I love this little guy with my whole being. I would gladly take a bullet for him in a heartbeat.
He is very sensitive,caring, and has a unique sense of humor.
He loves to watch people fall down- nothing is funnier to him. LOL
He laughs hysterically when he hears a baby cry. I don't quite get it but it cracks me up too.
Anyway, just wondering if anyone else has an autistic child.
It sometimes feels like a very lonely journey.
Posted by daisym on April 28, 2005, at 1:39:09
In reply to Anyone with a child with autism??, posted by Spriggy on April 19, 2005, at 21:41:16
I have a child with diabetes. He will be 20 soon. I work with little kids with disabilities including those with autism. You are right, it is a lonely journey for families. We try hard to connect parents to other parents for mutual support. No one understands like someone who is living it.
I totally get what you mean by wondering who he might have been, etc. etc. My son is brilliant (yes, I'm bragging) and is currently at the University. He is a quirky funny guy with a serious sensitive side. He already knows that his choices in life will be limited by his disease, he must choose a career that offers major healthcare coverage, he can never be an astronaut, stuff like that. Once in awhile I still wake up with this awful feeling that he is in danger. I remember dragging him out of a top bunk when he was in second grade as his blood sugar bottomed out and he had a seizure. Scared me to death.
No matter what we all must face with our children, we never face it alone. I believe God has special grace for parents. We just have to ask for it.
Posted by Minnie-Haha on May 15, 2005, at 15:40:01
In reply to Anyone with a child with autism??, posted by Spriggy on April 19, 2005, at 21:41:16
I'm late getting in on this, but for awhile we thought our son had Asperger's Syndrome. The pediatric neurologist we saw DXd "ADHD Primarily Inattentive", but everyone who knows J. (personally and professionally) disagrees. Surprise, surprise! The neurologist's specialty was ADHD, and she admitted she had to kind of fudge to make him fit the criteria. I told my husband I think we could go to 4 different specialists and get 4 different diagnoses, so kinda let go of that for now.
What we know for sure is that he is highly gifted, and there are bunches of atypical behaviors that come along with that. So we're trying to fill his gifted needs and take care of other needs as they arise. For instance, he's gotten Speech, OT, and PT therapy off-and-on over the past 6 years now. Some at school, because he has an IEP, and some we get through our insurace or pay for out-of-pocket.
So to answer your question: I think J. is somewhere on the spectrum, but I think he has enough strengths to compensate and live a "normal" life.
I feel for you. I look at J. sometimes and wonder if some other wire might have got crossed... We got lucky. I have the utmost respect for parents of disabled children. It's a hard row to hoe. But I've also met enough autistic kids and parents (I belong to an Asperger's parent group) to know there are these shining, brilliant moments too. They're really special kids and you wonder what is going on in those wonderful minds.
Posted by cockeyed on May 19, 2005, at 0:37:07
In reply to Re: Anyone with a child with autism?? » Spriggy, posted by Minnie-Haha on May 15, 2005, at 15:40:01
Spriggy, Since January, I've been stunned by the latest statistics on the frequency of autism. From a comparative rarity in 1960, now and I'm trying to operate from a drug addled memory there is an autistic child born in a ration of 1 out of 250 compared to 1 out of 160, 000. My wife's boss is working in this field as are many others. I'll try to get sources, etc. I believe she is working in the field of diet, both of parents and kids-the food industry additives are often petroleum based and their effects are not really known. Plus the fact that modern housing and electronics utilize petro based products which oxidize or emanate chemicals into our encapsulated, insulated homes to an extent never before experienced and never tested. I suppose I sound like a crank, but I'm old enuff to remember Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. I thought she was a nut but it has long been known that our society was poisoning ourselves with insecticides, pesticides, carcinogenic cleaning agents, etc. I've studied electronics-many components are just plain poisonous.
I suspect our government is going to have to get involved. I never heard of ADD five years ago. And autism has become an epidemic. You are a good and brave person to deal with such a situation. It cuts across all spectrums of society. I know of a woman whose 14 year old son beats her up. She is a high level executive.
I don't know what I would do if I had a child who was auttistic. I conciously chose not to have shildren of my own because I blamed my self for some of the unintended horrors of abuse my sister and I suffered in the name of strict parenting. I was "normal" and gifted. that gifted bit was a curse. I was considered weird until I started beating other kids up and playing violent sports. Cherish and nurture your childs gifts, that's probably the best key to a better life. "normal" in today's worl is becoming increasingly scary and weird. Something's happening to kids and we only now seem to be realizing that fact. Hoping that god blesses you, cockeyed
This is the end of the thread.
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