The way the psychologists explained it was that children with Asperger's have typical verbal development, but display the social impairments associated with ASD. I had never heard such a simple description before. I don't know if this is a more advanced understanding than they had two years ago or what, but had we heard that explanation two years ago, we would have known that he didn't have Asperger's because even though he is very verbal, his verbal development isn't "typical" in that he did demonstrate echolalia a lot when he was younger and he still repeats a lot of phrases he hears in movies, etc...although he doesn't use those phrases to communicate, he just likes repeating them.
I don't know...it had been awhile since we'd had to go through this kind of evaluation, so I had forgotten how much of it really depends on your ability, as parents, to answers a barrage of questions about your child accurately. If your hands were full and you needed to open the door and you dropped something, would he step in to help without prompting? Well, I can't picture that happening since I would have been asking him to open the door as I approached it with my hands full...maybe?Does he use the word "between?" I had to think about that one for awhile...I don't recall any monumental occasion in which he used to word "between," but that doesn't rule out the possibility that he's used it...
I understand that these tests and questionnaires were developed a certain way for a reason, but it seems impossible to me that my ability to accurately recall every tiny detail of his speech and mannerisms (especially given that I have twins) has such a large influence on the diagnosis. There just seems to be a huge margin for error there.
Of course it wasn't just us talking, they played with Owen, too. They got to see firsthand who he is and how he acts...granted, it was only for an hour, but he was in a good mood, so I think it was a pretty accurate representation.
Anyway, I don't mean to sound upset about it. The gist is that he's doing great. He's made great progress. He's a sweet, charming and cooperative little boy. And yes, he has autism. It was a very long-awaited and expensive confirmation of what we already knew.
But on the bright side, the doctors at Fraser were really great. I wish I could consult with them on a more regular basis. They not only understand autism, but they were great at picking up on all of Owen's strengths and really speaking as advocates for him rather than focusing on what he needs to work on. So overall, not a waste of time, but not as big of a deal as I had unintentionally built it up to be in my mind.
And then we all went and had cupcakes. The perfect ending to all appointments.
Btw, today is the husband's birthday. Happy birthday, honey!
And then we all went and had cupcakes. The perfect ending to all appointments.
Btw, today is the husband's birthday. Happy birthday, honey!
2 comments:
I heard Perri Klass, MD, co-author of the book Quirky Kids, speak once and someone asked her what the difference between high-functioning autism and Aspergers. She made it sound so simple, saying that kids with HFA don't care if they have friends while kids with Aspergers do care.
That's a tough one to chew. My Jack cares about his teachers and family... but doesn't really seem to care about "friends" per se... Does this seem to be the case with Owen?
Whatever the case, it seems he is doing really, really well!
Interesting...Owen obviously cares about us and clearly likes a few kids that I would consider his "friends," but I don't know that it would matter to him whether his friends came over to play or not. He probably wouldn't think to miss them. I need to read that book.
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