Autism

My sons autism diagnosis was probably the most comforting diagnosis for me as strange as it sounds because I knew, I just knew in my heart that we were dealing with something more than ADHD and no one was listening to me I had read so many books on Aspergers in particular and it rang so many bells for me but his diagnosis remained solid at ADHD until one day his doctor looked at me and said uhm have we discussed the possibility of Autism, Loghan had just finished lining up all of the therapy toy animals in rows, separated by animal and then by colour and size it was a big moment for us and I finally had hope that we were headed in the right direction....

ASD is a developmental disorder that affects both the communication and behaviors of a child and/or adult.

Some of the behaviors or symptoms typically displayed by someone with ASD are as follows:

- Difficulty with communication and interaction with other people

- Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors

- Symptoms that hurt the person’s ability to function properly in school, work, and other areas of life

Autism is known as a “spectrum” disorder because there is wide variation in the type and severity of symptoms people experience. ASD occurs in all ethnic, racial, and economic groups. 

People with ASD have difficulty with social communication and interaction, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors. 

Social communication / interaction behaviors may include:

- Making little or inconsistent eye contact

- Tending not to look at or listen to people

- Rarely sharing enjoyment of objects or activities by pointing or showing things to others

- Failing to, or being slow to, respond to someone calling their name or to other verbal attempts to gain attention

- Having difficulties with the back and forth of conversation

- Often talking at length about a favorite subject without noticing that others are not interested or without giving others a chance to respond

- Having facial expressions, movements, and gestures that do not match what is being said

- Having an unusual tone of voice that may sound sing-song or flat and robot-like

- Having trouble understanding another person’s point of view or being unable to predict or understand other people’s actions

Restrictive / repetitive behaviors may include:

- Repeating certain behaviors or having unusual behaviors. 

- Having a lasting intense interest in certain topics, such as numbers, details, or facts

- Having overly focused interests, such as with moving objects or parts of objects

Getting upset by slight changes in a routine

- Being more or less sensitive than other people to sensory input, such as light, noise, clothing, or temperature

- People with ASD may also experience sleep problems and irritability.

Although people with ASD experience many challenges, they may also have many strengths, including:

- Being able to learn things in detail and remember information for long periods of time

- Being strong visual and auditory learners

- Excelling in math, science, music, or art