Welp, the day we were waiting for is here. We finally had our ASD medical eval, and was confirmed that little miss (3 years old) has "mild" ASD, presenting with receptive language delay, motor developmental delay, and input sensitivity (sudden, loud noises).
Not really surprised, but since she (I guess this is true for many girls?) has adapted so many social skills, we weren't quite sure if she was autistic or just had some speech and motor delays. Good news is, she was already getting privateā¦ read more
OK, stick with me, I do answer.
I knew my child was angry and overreacts, but it wasn't till a retired special ed instructor (at the 3rd school he got kicked out of) told me I should get an evaluation, that I was validated "something was wrong". He got the Diagnosis when he was 4. All the teachers and evaluators asked me if I was ok and I didn't understand why. The fact was that I, as an educated woman, had only heard the term autism. I had NO idea what it was. I figure if I didn't have a clue, neither do many other people.
That being said, when it becomes necessary to tell someone, I find that the way (verbage, tone of voice, body language) I tell someone, lets them know what to think of it.
Now, every case is different, I use some terms that are more widely known. You will have to find your own. son I say, " When I explain to someone what its like for Dominic, it's more like ADHD, sun and noise sensitivity and anger issues wrapped in one". If it's a care giver, I give a bit more details, like, "If he's repeating things you don't understand, it's probably just movie lines",
"If he's jumping and flapping his wings, he's just excited".
If I act like its no big deal and there's just a few things to look out for, they end up acting the same way. Hope my experience helps some.
I just explained the diagnosis and said we're here if you have any questions. My family is filled with people who like to avoid things that make them uncomfortable myself included so most of them just pretended like nothing ever changed... unhealthy sure but it works for us lol š.
I donāt mean to be a horror show here but ASD can get worse over time. Itās called regression and very real. Many autistic parents are being told scientific information about autism from 10-20 years ago. The new stuff is incredible to learn but is heartbreaking because itās like the ideal of smoking to people back in the 50ās. Many wonāt want to change their information so many kids will not get well.
Just understand two things, (this is where the scientific evidence is going and itās a path that companies making money off of our kids donāt like), your kid can get better from something(s) other than therapy. Therapy companies have spent a lot of time and money telling us they are the only choice...but if thatās true then why are there SO many kids that donāt respond to therapy? There is no one size fits all in anything.
And, your average doctor is not going to be the person who writes a script that buys you a pill to cure your kid! Autism has been a big thing since the 80ās, why are there no Pharma cures yet? 50 years and all they have are meds that turn them into silly putty! Think about it. They arenāt looking for a cure for our kids, they are managing symptoms like anger, self injury, and OCD. The cure for autism is showing itself to scientists but because it canāt be patented...there is no money in it. Donāt worry, I sound like a weirdo now, but in 10-15 years the news will become common place. Donāt believe me? YouTube search āautism gut leaky brainā once a day for a week. The more videos you watch the more the good stuff will be suggested. But Pharma canāt patent good healthy food
You shouldn't have to explain ASD much as it's pretty widespread in the last 30 years. It's more likely you'll get good and bad advice from people who think they know your daughter without ever seeing her. You mentioned some negative aspects but I've run into plenty of overly positive aspects as well. I'd have to explain that my daughter is not endowed with special abilities in math or computers. I suspect they want to put the best spin on it as possible.