Living with Autism/Asperger's Syndrome

My grandson was approximately 9 months old and stew was cooking in the crock pot. The cord for the pot was behind the table, which was against the wall with the cord under the table at the back with chairs all around. He pulled the crock pot down on the chair he was standing behind. Thank goodness that chair was there because he was only burned on his lower stomach and upper thigh.

The burns were severe and he had to be rushed to Emanuel Hospital, where they watched over my grandson.

The doctors were concerned that he could pull something that heavy, why he was not in more pain, and why he was not crying and acting like other babies, who had come in with severe burns.

We took William Eisaiah to Portland for testing approximately 6 months later and it was determined he had autism, which explained all of these symptoms. He now shows all signs of having Asperger’s Syndrome.

What is Autism and Asperger's Syndrome? How does it affect the family? Is there any cure?

“Autism is a severe developmental disorder” and “most autistic children are perfectly normal in appearance, but spend their time engaged in puzzling and disturbing behaviors.”[1] “The condition is the result of a neurological disorder that has an effect on normal brain functions, affecting the development of the person’s communication and social interaction skills.”[2]

Because autism symptoms vary greatly, two children with the same diagnosis may act quite differently and have strikingly different skills. In most cases, though, severe autism is marked by a complete inability to communicate or interact with other people.”[3] We are so grateful that Eisaiah is a high functioning, funny, and super smart autistic person.  He is teaching himself to read, count, and talk in three different languages.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is sometimes accompanied by Asperger Syndrome. “Asperger Syndrome was first described by a German doctor, Hans Asperger, in 1944 (one year after Leo Kanner's first paper on autism).”[4]

Some of the older members of our family do not understand autism/asperger and think we are too soft on him and Eisaiah just needs discipline and not routine.  However, Eisaiah, like so many autistic children, do not understand violence and will try to reciprocate.

 “Having a conversation with a person with autism may feel very much like a one-way trip. The person with ASD might give the impression that he is talking at people, rather than with or to them. However, there will be much less exchanging of ideas, thoughts, and feelings than there might be in a conversation with a person who does not have autism.

A number of children with ASD do not like cuddling or being touched like other children do.  Often it is a question of practice and anticipating that physical contact is going to happen.  My grandson, Eisaiah, must have a hug and kiss from anyone who leaves our home.

A person with autism usually finds sudden loud noises unpleasant and quite shocking. Eisaiah is very sensitive to smells and hears extraordinarily well, as he can tell a plane is above before you can see it.

The higher the severity of the autism the more affected are a person's speaking skills.. People with autism will often repeat words or phrases they hear - an event called echolalia.  Echolalia is one of the symptoms which Eisaiah has, which can really annoy a person if you do not know it is part of his condition.

A person with autism likes predictability. Routine is his/her best friend. To others, these repetitive behaviors may seem like bizarre rites.

People with autism often have obsessions.”[6] Fortunately, Eisaiah has a number of obsessions, including Thomas the Train, Cars the movies, and languages.

 “The most important point we want to make is that autistic individuals have the potential to grow and improve. Contrary to what you may hear from outmoded professionals or read in outmoded books, autism is treatable. The earlier these children receive appropriate treatment, the better their prognosis. Their progress though life may be slower than others, but they can still live happy and productive lives. “[7]

For the families of an autistic child, this diagnosis can be heartbreaking and upsetting to their pre-conceived ideas for their child’s life.  What does it mean to the rest of the family?  How will it affect the child’s future?

Our family is continually learning how to cope with autism/asperger and hope that Eisaiah be able to use his intelligence to improve his own life, with our help.  Most of the time, he seems so normal that people are upset that he is not completely potty trained at four years of age, who is 75 pound 4 feet tall little man.

These questions need to be discussed with health professionals and use whatever resources are available to help with any improvements that can be made to have a better quality of life.

“Because autism is an incurable disease, many parents seek out alternative therapies.”[8] 

We are trying an alternative natural vitamin, protandum, to see if this will help with the symptoms of asperger, which Mrs. Gould, who works at LBCC cafeteria has tried and found improvements for her autistic 9 year old son. Mrs. Gould has helped me understand that the destructive behavior is normal, like punching holes in things, and taking toys away when he is bad works better than even time out. (email her @ginvest_07@yahoo.com)

Since there is no cure for either of these disorders, it is imperative that the child be diagnosed and screened as soon as the symptoms appear for a better chance at normalcy or as close as a person with autism and asperger’s syndrome can get.

At A Glance:

“These are some common autism symptoms:

Social skills

·         Fails to respond to his or her name

·         Has poor eye contact

·         Appears not to hear you at times"

Language

·         Loses previously acquired ability to say words or sentences·     

 ·         Can't start a conversation or keep one going

·         May repeat words or phrases verbatim, but doesn't understand how to use them

Behavior

·         Develops specific routines or rituals

·         Becomes disturbed at the slightest change in routines or rituals

·         May be fascinated by parts of an object, such as the spinning wheels of a toy car

·         May be unusually sensitive to light, sound and touch and yet oblivious to pain"  

“Often individuals with Asperger's syndrome have many of the behaviors listed below:

Language:

          lucid speech before age 4 years; grammar and vocabulary are usually very good

          conversations revolve around self

Cognition

          obsessed with complex topics, such as patterns, weather, music, history, etc.

          often described as eccentric

           I.Q.'s fall along the full spectrum, but many are in the above normal range in     verbal ability and in the below average range in performance abilities.

          many have dyslexia, writing problems, and difficulty with mathematics

Behavior

          movements tend to be clumsy and awkward

          odd forms of self-stimulatory behavior

          socially aware but displays inappropriate reciprocal interaction”5]

 [1] http://www.autism.com/fam_whatisautism.asp

[2] http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/autism/

[3] http://www.bing.com/health/article/mayo-MADS00348/Autism?q=autism&qpvt=autism

[4] http://www.autism.com/fam_whatisautism.asp

[5] Asperger's Syndrome, Written by Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D.( http://www.autism.com/fam_whatisautism.asp)

[6]http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/autism/

[7] http://www.autism.com/pdf/families/adviceforparents.pdf

[8]  http://www.bing.com/health/article/mayo-MADS00348/Autism?q=autism&qpvt=autism