The First Signs of Autism that I've Noticed

What signs did you notice first and when?

His inability to be soothed when a single thing would stress him out. "No no, Patrick. No don't pull the kitties tail" would set him off into a whirlwind of confusion and his entire day would be wrecked. It began this way at about 12 months. Before this he was an amazingly calm baby. He started talking at 6 weeks, his first word was momma, dada, but at 3 months he strung two words together. At six months he finished sentences. At 12 months he could have a full, very focused conversation. At 2 he taught himself to read the scientific names to dinosaurs, and at 3 he was reading and understanding chapter books.

As time went on, was there a progression of symptoms that became more obvious?

Yes. He still became very frustrated and was prone to meltdowns that would last the entire day. Comforting him was very difficult if not fully impossible. By the time he reached grade school his fits became self destructive (banging fist to his head) or he throws things and screams. The school would suspend him for up to 10 days at a time. By now he'd mastered books like Moby Dick but we had to hide the newspaper from him. He would read and become frightened by current events and that would set off a meltdown again.

How did your pediatrician and health team come to a diagnosis?

At first the school wanted him on ADHD medication. Nothing helped. In fact it made him much sicker. By the time he reached second grade the teachers decided to put him in the back of the classroom, facing the wall and away from all the other students. My husband and I found this out and instantly demanded he received a fair education. That's when they brought in a Physiatrist and he was the very first student in the entire school district to be diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.

What advice would you give parents trying to recognize the signs?

Educate yourself. If you suspect something is wrong... find out what and why.

Not all symptoms are "non verbal". We didn't realize this. His brain works differently. He is super intelligent but other issues prevented him from functioning.