Mom to Mom – Autism testing and looking for answers
My middle son is quirky. He has always been quirky – but then he started developing tics. His reactions to things became more extreme. And I began to wonder what was going on.
He is 10 years old and after looking over his life to this point, we began to wonder if it was more than just being a quirky kid.
He didn’t have what we knew to be stereotypical signs of autism – being nonverbal, flapping of arms/hands, having cognitive differences (genius or needing intense help). But he did have signs.
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After speaking with several other adults in his life, someone finally looked me in the eye and said what I suspected: he had many of the signs for what has been known as Asperger Syndrome.
Though it is now not a formal diagnosis on its own and is part of the wider spectrum of autism, Asperger’s is still commonly referred to as a form of high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Think Sheldon Cooper from “The Big Bang Theory.”
Armed with a referral from our pediatrician, it took a year to get an appointment with a specialist to have him assessed. That assessment took place just last month.
It was long, arduous and hard to watch because I wasn’t allowed to interrupt. It was three hours of him playing through scenarios, being asked questions and to choose cause-and-effect or pattern sequences. After a while, my son was done. He drew up his legs inside his sweatshirt and raised the collar up over his head in an effort to hide.
It was incredibly eye-opening for me to see his reactions. The doctor later pointed out several things that I just hadn’t been attuned to.
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We didn’t get results right away. There’s a lot of paperwork for the doctor to look through, but I am so glad we waited the year for the appointment.
I’m also glad we will have a definitive answer soon, because it will grant my son additional resources at school and hopefully allow us to know how to help him more.
Growing up isn’t easy, and as parents we want to help our children become the most amazing adults they can be. Getting this assessment done was well worth the time.
Allison Wells is a wife, mother of four, and an award-winning author. She's Team Oxford Comma and her motto is "Life is short, eat the Oreos." Find her online at allisonwellswrites.com.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Mom to Mom – Autism testing and looking for answers
