| I watch as my son's eyes glaze over and I
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| | Asperger's Syndrome is part of a sub
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| know that for a little while at least I
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| | group which is part of a much larger
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| have lost him to the splendor of his
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| | category called Autistic Spectrum
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| world. My son suffers from Asperger's
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| | Disorders or Pervasive Developmental
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| Syndrome and it has taken us as parents a
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| | Disorders (PDD). Asperger's Syndrome (or
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| long time to accept that there are
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| | Asperger's Disorder) is a developmental,
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| certain things that my son does that we
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| | neurological disorder characterized by
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| will never really understand.
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| | severe impairment in social development,
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| When he travels around the house doing
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| | obsessive traits causing repetitive
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| what the doctors call "stiming" he looks
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| | patterns of behavior and very narrow and
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| at us like we are the strange ones that
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| | focused interests. They are usually very
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| don't do this that we don not require
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| | clumsy and have awkward movements. Unlike
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| such activities in order to survive.
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| | with Autism, children with Asperger's
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| "Stiming" is self-stimulation, which can
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| | show no delays in the development of
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| be opening and closing the window blinds
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| | language skills. Once we actually knew
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| for extended periods of time, watching
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| | what was wrong with my son a whole new
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| the tap drip or carrying around a shoe.
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| | avenue of opportunity opened up for us.
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| In my son's case it is flicking a soft
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| | As a mother the first thing I did was
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| cloth right in front of his eyes, which
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| | research. I spent hours with my nose in a
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| is visual stimulation. Sometimes it calms
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| | book or staring at the computer screen.
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| him and other times it gets him all
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| | The one piece of hope that I found in
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| excited but it is as necessary to his
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| | almost all of my research was that with
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| existence as air is. When he is stiming
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| | treatment children with Asperger's can
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| he leaves our world and goes into his.
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| | grow up to have fulfilling lives as
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| I've asked him what makes his different
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| | adults. Of course the earlier they
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| and he says in his world he is popular,
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| | receive treatment the higher the rate of
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| understood and feels happy. It saddens me
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| | success but my son only started receiving
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| that this world cannot offer that to him.
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| | real treatment when he was 11 and we have
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| I knew that there was something wrong at
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| | still seen great improvement.
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| a very early age but it took me years to
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| | I know from personal experience that the
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| convince the doctors. I was just another
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| | frustration of trying to find out what is
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| mother over reacting to what was
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| | wrong with your child is at a level that
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| perfectly normal. As an infant he was
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| | only parents who have gone or are going
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| colic and it wasn't only at certain times
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| | through can understand. It seems like the
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| it was 24hrs a day. The first time I
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| | world is against you as doctors treat you
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| slept through the night was when I
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| | as nothing but paranoid parents looking
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| purchased a jolly jumper for him and he
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| | for a reason to excuse their bad
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| basically jumped himself to sleep. I
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| | parenting. Of course that is where the
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| curled up around the bottom of him and we
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| | blame will always be placed by
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| stayed there for 5 hrs. To this day
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| | others...that as parents it is YOUR
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| sleeping is still a big problem for him.
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| | fault. There is no blame when it comes to
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| As my son grew there was more and more
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| | Asperger's or any other PDD disorder.
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| strange behavior. He never played with
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| | There has been some research that shows a
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| toys or with other children for that
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| | possible genetic connection but that is
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| matter. He walked on his tiptoe never
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| | still not an excuse for blame. If I could
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| flat foot. He was always flapping his
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| | offer any advice it would be to never
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| hands and would spend long hours playing
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| | give up. If one doctor won't help you
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| with a pen that made a clicking noise. If
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| | find another and do research especially
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| he became overly agitated I would put on
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| | on-line. There is excellent advice,
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| high-heeled shoes and the clicking sound
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| | support and resources to help you help
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| of the heels on the floor would calm him.
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| | your child. Saying that you need to mourn
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| As long as he was awake he was either
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| | for your child probably sounds ridiculous
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| rocking or bouncing. We had to put his
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| | because you have not lost him or her. I
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| high chair up against a wall so he
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| | advise the mourning as a way of dealing
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| wouldn't tip it over he rocked so hard.
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| | with the fact that that perfect child you
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| Once my son reached the age of 4 his
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| | always dreamed of having who would be so
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| behavior turned aggressive and out of
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| | popular and a star athlete just is not
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| control. It was a nightmare of hospitals
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| | going to happen. That is not to say your
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| and doctors and he became a guinea pig
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| | child will not accomplish great things
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| for various medications. Over the course
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| | but it may not be in the way you had
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| of a few years he was diagnosed with
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| | hoped. Once you accept who your child is
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| various disorders such as Attention
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| | you will be much better equipped to help
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| Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD),
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| | him focus on all the special qualities he
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| tourette syndrome, obsessive compulsive
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| | has. It will never be easy but with
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| disorder and Non Verbal Learning
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| | treatment programs and a lot of love, the
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| Disability (NLD). Finally at the age of 9
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| | life of an Asperger's child can be one of
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| he was diagnosed with Asperger's
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| | great joy and fulfillment for him and you
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| Syndrome.
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| | the parents.
|
