My son has never had an "official' diagnosis. It was always hard to get him to go and stay in school, but by the time he was 12yo, it was almost impossible. By 9th grade he was ordered into a truancy program by the courts. Even the judge said it wasn't the [place for him, but there no other options. He completed the program, we both went to all the required meetings and he completed community service. After all that, he still had trouble going to school and staying there. More often than not, his father or I had to go pick him up from school early. We tried having a teacher come into the home to teach him, doing his schoolwork on-line, and using special programs to help him keep up in school. Nothing worked. It wasn't his intelligence, because he could take tests and pass them without studying. He achieved high scores on his ACT. But he wouldn't complete his school work. It got to a point when it just wasn't going to work out. Now I am trying to get him to take the GED (He's 20yo). I wish I had known about AS sooner. He could have received help before he left the school system. Now he is an adult with no diploma, no way of supporting himself, and no prospects. Sorry to sound so negative, but this is why I fight so hard to get children evaluated as early as possible.

My daughter wan't give the right diagnosis until she was almost 10.
The best book to help with understanding and dealing with everything is AUTISM:UNDERSTANDING THE PUZZLE, by Sharla Jordon. It helps you with behaviors and understanding the whole spectrum. It also gives some resources and helps you know what kind of things to ask for. It's on ZULU and AMAZON.

Monajean, thank you for telling your story. It's very inspiring, being my son was 11 when diagnosed. Before that, they told me it was ADHD. I feel like I'm going uphill very slowly and hoping it will get better. It's not easy having a child on the spectrum. That's why i like this site. Moms like you understand what it's like and can offer support and advice. Thank you!

I knew something was wrong when my Grandaughter was just months old. She didn't coo or make a sound and never laughed and she would jus stare at you...when she was 4 we to the actual diagnosis.

Although my son hit the major milestones within the typical range, starting around 7 months, I begin to feel like something was wrong. He would not turn around when you called him, would not look when we pointed at something and would not point himself.