Hello! My son is almost 4, and I have been in a fight to help him since he first started his regression in speech and emotion at 14 mo ( after a flu shot and massive allergic reaction to Motrin in the same week....more on that later) Being an experienced Special Ed teacher (11 yrs), you can imagine my shock and surprise when I was told by everyone around me that I was "overeacting" and "He will be fine" I have 2 other NT children, so I THINK I wouldnt wait til my 3rd child to develop Munchausens Syndrome by Proxy.( JK) Anyway, I noted everything between 14mo and his 18 mo checkup, so I was ready.Guess what? He shouldnt lose all his speech, and cringe when touched and have 5-10 tantrums a day, and throw himself off the top step on purpose ( sensory seeking) and cram his mouth with objects and food ( again sensory) and drink incessantly and copy speech and stare off into space...I had a team of professionals come to my house and agree with me that my son should not be ripping off and collecting every wheel off of every car/truck/vehicle in the house and making piles in the playroom.( He still loves wheels, but he plays with the actual vehicles now.They must be "parked" in a straight line or pattern....but he has developed reciprocity in play, which helps) His eye contact is poor, and he was echoing. (stopped)However...they would not say and still will not say "Autism" I think they think it will upset me. I have known he is on the spectrum for a long time. I have actually resisted a diagnosis other than that, because I dont believe you can always put people in a category. "On the spectrum somewhere" is enough for me to know that we are always going to have some work to do, and that will change as he grows. They say " Sensory Integration Dysfunction". If your sensory issues are so severe that they impede age appropriate speech and socialization, what the difference? Any feedback would be appreciated!! I respect what others ( especially those on the spectrum) have to say. (Temple Grandin's book Thinking in Pictures has been very helpful, but I also understand that this is one perspective only.) In it, she recalls being much more involved in autism at a younger age. What if someone had assumed her ability level based on that? If there is one thing I have learned from teaching, it is that one person cannot possibly judge the potential of another. What if you just dont have the means to measure it? What a tradgedy this would be! If you could enlighten me on your educational experiences, I would appreciate it. I will be teaching children in grades 5-6 next year. Many are on the spectrum, so any insight would be helpful. Thanks!!
13 Aug 2008, 9:54 am
