Deb, thanks so much for having this area. My son is 13 and was diagnosed with High-Functioning Autism with Asperger's Syndrome when he was about 5 by a school psychologist. He had been going to a speech class for about two years at that point because we noticed he had a major problem with his speech.
His speech seemed to develop normally ... up to a point, about two years old. Then my son stopped talking completely for quite some time, and we began to worry. So we took him to a doctor for evaluation, and at that time, she said he needed speech therapy but found no significant results.
I have read many theories about what causes autism and I am still puzzled about them all. In my son's case, his speech and behavior progressed normally, he had a regularly scheduled immunization, and then just stopped talking soon thereafter.
I thought he was being stubborn or going through a phase, but after a while, it became apparent something was wrong, so we sought help.
At this point, based on my experiences and what I've read, I am leaning toward an environmental or immunization "cause." But I just don't know.
It has been a struggle at times through the years. He hated any type of change (like having to stop his favorite activity without enough notice, moving to a new classroom, etc.) and really had an issue with certain loud or irritating sounds (like the hair dryer, vacuum, loud motorcycle, etc.). He hated wearing certain fabrics; fidgeted in class, not able to sit still and playing constantly with his pencils by lining them up on his desk; and he had an extremely hard time with social interaction, bursting into a tantrum when things didn't go his way or someone broke the rules (well at least his rules). And of course he had speech problems.
He does tend to gravitate toward a certain interest and then obsess about it, such as the weather, his favorite sports team, music, etc. He is quite literal, and if I say please put on your shoes, and he has sandals sitting in front of him, I'll be corrected to say sandals. lol
He is very loving, sweet, outgoing boy, and I am so lucky. He has taught me a lot.
One day earlier this year, we were at the doctors. My son had hit his head at school on a metal sign and cut himself. We were coming out of the doctors office after he was checked out and going down a long ramp to the parking lot. I got to the end of the ramp, and I realized Corey was not with me so I looked behind me.
He was asking an older woman in a wheelchair, who was struggling to get up the ramp, if she needed help. So, he proceeded to push her all the way up the ramp, making make sure she was OK before he came to join me.
I just stood there thinking about all the people who passed her on that ramp and didn't even notice her, including myself. He taught me a lot in that moment. He joined me and we went to the car. I gave him a big hug, thanked him, and told him how wonderful he was.
He LOVES to be the "funny kid," trying to make people laugh by saying something funny. He loves playing sports and does quite well at them, except when he gets mad at himself for "failing" in his mind, like striking out in baseball or missing a goal in soccer. He is quite tough on himself, but at the same time is extremely compassionate with others when they have a tough time, even trying to comfort them and telling them all is OK.
I am so proud of my son for all that he's accomplished. He has had years of speech therapy, so much so that if you were to meet him today, his speech is fantastic and you might not notice he had any problems with his speech. Sometimes he still has a bit of trouble getting the words out, or finding the right word, but it is barely noticeable any more.
His behavior has been the best ever this past year, I think in part due to maturation but also because he's learned how to react and deal with certain situations. He has trained himself, in a way, to know what others expect of him and then tries to react appropriately. But there are still times when he lets his anger get the best of him. But he has come such a long way.
Over the years, he has gone to speech therapy, behavior counseling, and pull-out classes during school, all which have helped immensely.
Oh wow ... sorry for going on and on! And thanks again Deb for this area.