Autism

Well, ladies and gentlemen, here it is. My son is on the spectrum for autism. It is mild, but has been affecting his everyday learning in school. I realize he is only 3 years old, but it's a huge plus to know this stuff early. ... So, that's my big news. He has autism. I'm not in denial or regret mode. I'm in, ok, so he's got Autism. Let's help him, who the fuck cares how mild it is. I want my son to live a normal life and be able to cope with the crazy world us "un-autistic" people live in.

What have I noticed? I'm comparing my children almost every second now, more than in the past. I'm learning I need WAY more patience. His diet is glutton free. I'm not forcing him to get his hair cut anymore... working on that patience thing. Our nights have become awful but we aren't using diapers anymore, not as good a switch off as I'd prefer, but I'll take what I can. There are times I wish I knew what it was like in his head. Throwing has become a normal happening in our house... but only in his bedroom.

My 9 month old daughter is "singing" to us. The Lalalas are sweet reminders that she wants to communicate and get attention at the same time. Our son never did that. Our daughter turns her head when you say her name. Our son didn't do that until closer to 2 years old. Our daughter is showing us how many clues we had.

I'll say this, I understand now when my sister and I would talk about our sons (who are only 6 weeks apart) and both be dumbfounded by what the other was doing/not doing. How the other communicated with their child and how we each understood our child. Those were always weird conversations. "He's telling you what? He actually gives you a hug when you cry? You're able to give him directions with more then one step?" vs "He can climb what? He runs? He can string beads on a string? He can stack how many blocks?" .... very different experience.

And so begins my experience....