Autism

After 2 months of testing, it's official. Michael's been diagnosed w/ High Functioning Autism. I'm not surprised by the pschologist findings, but I did expect it to be PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified) which is a glorified way of saying he shows many signs of Autism, but not all. I feel very fortunate & blessed that we have many resources available to help Michael work on things that don't come naturally to him, such as reading social cues, personal boundaries, what to do when he's on sensory over-load, etc. We are going to continue therapy w/ the pschologist to establish game plans for home life, schooling recommendations, etc.

My personal feelings on the matter are that I'm relieved to have a name associated with what's going on w/ Michael. I know it will help us get the help he needs to be successful now and even more so in the future. The pschologist said that if we work hard w/ Michael he could very well be your typical kid by middle school. It's just a matter of helping him identify where he struggles and how to deal w/ it. Language is a huge barrior. I'm also thankful that the issues Michael faces are improvable. Michael is a loving, sweet boy. He loves being social and even faced w/ hard times he wants to get back up & try. As a mom I naturally worry about my boy being happy, feeling accepted, and being loved. And the one thing that will help him more than anything is to teach him the gospel. As a member of society, life can be disappointing. But as a child of God, there are no limits!