With Sincere Gratitude

I write this post after the last child attending my 10 year old Asperger Boy's birthday party left. Once again, I am struck by the compassion and acceptance that my son has been so fortunate to find in this group of kids. They are so truly amazing.

My son is in the 4th grade and has attended school with this same group of kids since Kindergarten. Actually some of them attended pre-school together, but this group (now 18 kids) has been together for 5 years. They are in a French Immersion program in an outstanding school. (I can judge outstanding from mediocre having put one child through school already). There are a few factors that contribute to this group being such an amazing group starting with the school, its fantastic and caring teachers, and its virtues program, but that doesn't quite explain it. I have another child in the same school, and her class is just not the same positive place that my son's is. Maybe we see a difference because my son is in the class? Let me explain.

Until this school year, none of our son's classmates knew there was something different about him. They accepted him as he was, and I suppose knowing him from Kindergarten made that easier. However, his behavior was beginning to become annoying to some of the kids in the 3rd grade, and they were less tolerant. They weren't abusive, but he definately took notice of being treated differently. Long story short, he had some severe anxiety issues toward the end of last year that carried over to the beginning of this year. Our daughter, then 7 years old, came up with the notion that if his classmates knew he had something like AS, they would be much more tolerant. Imagine that... it took the logic of a 7 year old to figure out how to deal with a potentially explosive social issue.

Our son shared his story with his classmates by way of a letter at the beginning of the school year. He poured his heart into the letter. It took him days to complete it. It was the single most important step he has taken. At that time, his anxiety was so high that he was not attending school. We would go to school for short periods to collect homework with the plan being to integrate slowly back one class at a time.

Imagine his delight when he was greeted by his classmates with excitement and genuine happiness to see him. Imagine his delight when he was invited to play at recess, asked to join in other activities and told how much they wanted him back in school. As his Mom, I wanted to take each of those kids and squeeze them! They have no idea just how powerful their actions are, or what a huge impact they have made on his life. Who knows what his life would be like today and in the future if he had not found this acceptance.

We were thrilled to say the least, but we really expected the newness of it to die off and that eventually the class would "forget" he has special issues. Here we are in the final quarter of the school year, and that has not happened. I watched the boys at the party today and how they completely accept my son's atypical behavior. They are so tolerant and accepting and able to see beyond the surface. They really like him. They really KNOW him - they just "get" him. It's hard to believe that these are 9 and 10 year old kids. It is hard for me to express the gratitude and admiration I feel for each of them - not just the kids at the party, but his entire class.

How does one adequately express this to a group of 9 and 10 year olds, and to their parents? I want to do something to express our appreciation and to let the parents of these amazing kids know what an outstanding child they have! I'm sure they know that already, but I am equally sure that they don't realize how powerful their children have been in not only getting my son back in school, but thriving. These kids and their parents need to know what a tremendous positive impact they have had. They have literally changed the course of my son's life. How do you thank someone for that?

And so I am wondering... will all kids rise to the occasion given the opportunity? I do believe that this is one special group of kids, but what if we gave every class a "special child" to take care of . I think of the life lessons that these kids are learning - and teaching and wonder if others would benefit from a similar experience...

Children with Aspergers See the World Differently

Children With Asperger's See The World Differently...

They Have Unique Challanges That You Must Know About To Raise Them Well...

It’s true that early detection and early treatment are the two key factors in improving prognosis -- but too often parents get bogged down in denial or confusion about this still mysterious disorder, and are unable to take the necessary steps.

I know that was true for my family. But you know, knowledge is power. Once you understand what you are dealing with, both the negative and the positive, you are in a position to turn negatives into positives.

Is it time you discovered ...

* What an AS diagnosis really means
* How to understand and assess your child’s various treatment options
* What your child's rights are in the school system
* How to cope with common marital and family stress
* How to manage and even reduce your child ’s Asperger’s symptoms
* And much, much more!

I found a great resource that can really change your life. To find out more click the link below:

The Essential Guide to Aspergers

Is your Child Out of Control

Parents of children with Aspergers or ADHD, and ADD are often at a loss for how to control their child's behavior.

Does your child often:

• lose his temper
• argue with adults
• refuse to comply with rules and requests
• deliberately annoy people
• blame others for his mistakes and misbehavior

Is your child often:

• touchy and easily annoyed by others
• angry and resentful
• spiteful and vindictive

If those lists sound like your child, you may be dealing with ODD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

"Believe it or not, your child doesn't need counseling. You don’t need parenting classes. You don’t need -- nor would you want -- a 250-page manual on how to be a better parent. Who has time for that? And you don’t need to go through another year of pain and misery with rebellious,foul-mouthed kids with an "attitude."However, what you may need is someone who has worked with oppositional, defiant children and frustrated parents for nearly 20 years -- and does so for a living -- to show you a set of very effective parenting techniques that are guaranteed to work."

That would be Mark Hutten.

Mark offers a program second to none at price that is truly outrageous. I have scoured the internet looking for a similar online support program and could not find one for less than $300. You'll be shocked when you see what you get here for under $30!

Online Parent Support

Finally, some real value!

Aspergers and Sensory Perception Disorder

Original Artwork by Melissa Zacherl.

Copyright 2004 by Melissa Zacherl.

This poster found on this website: http://www.spdbayarea.org/SPD_symptoms.htm, was created by a parent of a child with Sensory Perception Disorder. I thought it was a wonderfully simple, yet eloquent description of a child with SPD. The image in this post is small, but do click on the link and check it out, as well as the site itself!

As noted in the Diagnosis Game, we have been round the mullberry bush with our son in our efforts to get answers and solutions to his issues. For the most part, we are truly unconcerned about a diagnosis because we know our child, we accept him as he is and for who is, but we are acutely aware that his sensory issues are adversely affecting his health. This is, of course, our only concern in any of this - ensuring that our child is healthy, happy and reaching his potential. Just the same goal as we have for our typically developing child.

Whether he is ever officially diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome (AS) or not, he has been diagnosed with SPD. It would seem that the specialists I have been in contact with are not aware of the connection between SPD and AS. When I was directed to a page describing the difference between picky eaters and resistant eaters, I was shocked to see an EXACT description of my son's food issues.

http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/The_SPD_Companion-picky-eaters-and-resistant-eaters.html

Vaccine Autism Connection in the News

Before I knew anything about a theory connecting ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and immunizations, I wondered if our son's behavior changes could be attributed to his vaccinations. It was right after his 18 month immunization that we began to notice changes in his personality. A once normally developing toddler suddenly became rigid. A child who once would eat whatever was offered became picky and overly sensitive. A once active and agile child became less agile.

When I read about the immunization connection to autism I was quite certain that our son did indeed have ASD. There has been considerable contraversy about this connection with health officials adamently denying any connection. Well... now US Federal officials say a Georgia girl is entitled to compensation from a federal vaccine injury fund because she developed autism-like symptoms after receiving childhood vaccines in 2000.

You can find the news story in many networks. Here is one of them:

http://www.wbaltv.com/health/15524242/detail.html