You are right to question the diagnosis. Sometimes what may just be normal delays in development are put as autism too soon. Keep at though, you may start to notice things as he develops that will not sit right. Trust your gut. A good indicator is lack of eye contact. The child will almost go out of his way not to look at you when you talk to him or he talks to you. Also, cuddling is something autistic children have a hard time with. They don’t like to be touched or hugged a lot. My son used to walk in circles a lot, and actually still paces when he is alone and stressed. Also, they may not react in a correct manner in certain social situations, perhaps laughing at an incident where laughing is inappropriate, if they see someone fall or get hurt. Again, this may not be the case for all children with autism. This was our experience. As he got older, our son, did not improve with these things, which is what led us to seek out a diagnosis. I will say that early intervention got him prepared for school, and social skills therapy as he progressed in school was also very helpful. They taught him basically how to interact w/people. This may sound silly, but for kids with autism, it just does not come naturally. Some gross motor skills can also be affected. For example, it took my son a lot longer than most kids to learn how to ride a bike. Our biggest fear was that because he got lost in his thoughts a lot, he would not pay attention crossing the streets. He did get it eventually and now he even drives a car. He performs music on stage and while not the most talkative young man, he does interact with people much better. So all things can be learned, just at a different pace. Just keep at and know that there are aspects of his personality that he may never be able to change, but can succeed as well as anyone else in life.

I saw Holly on a TV interview years ago and felt for her. I am glad her child is being mainstreamed.We know what it’s like to stop getting invited to some parties; but thankfully some friends stay by you.Unfortunately our son ,now 13, is still severe -It’s hard; but my wife is amazing and like Holly we didn’t stop having kids after he was born.He is our second oldest by a year and after Joey we had 5 more-thats right we have 7 and they are all beautiful and great with Joe even the little guy helps.I have never posted anything like this before; but read it and thought someone might like to hear from a Dad for a change.To all you guys with healthy kids and ones that are now doing better and mainstreaming-congrats.To you Mom and Dads who have it like us-stay the course,don’t give up,enjoy the days you can and God Bless You

I want to thank Holly for posting this article and allowing to comment. I too have twins, son and daughter who are almost 3 yrs old. And yes my son is now going through early intevention now for a possible diagnosis of autism. It has definitely been a difficult time for me being a 1st time single mother with a hand full of having 2 children, but now one of them is needing a lot more attention than the other. I felt the same way as Holly as far as denying the fact that he wasn’t developing the same as his sister. But I had noticed when we went to birthday parties or even church. He would block his ears and just scream. I had no idea and would be embarassed. I had watched CNN when they had the special about autistic children and celebrity mothers who are battling this with their children and immediately made an appointment with his pediatrician. When they had told me of the possibility, I had went into a slight depression thinking how did this happen or that there must have been something I did wrong. But he is now getting treatment and we have a good support system so I know we can beat this! Thanks Holly

I want to thank Holly for posting this article and allowing to comment. I too have twins, son and daughter who are almost 3 yrs old. And yes my son is now going through early intevention now for a possible diagnosis of autism. It has definitely been a difficult time for me being a 1st time single mother with a hand full of having 2 children, but now one of them is needing a lot more attention than the other. I felt the same way as Holly as far as denying the fact that he wasn’t developing the same as his sister. But I had noticed when we went to birthday parties or even church. He would block his ears and just scream. I had no idea and would be embarassed. I had watched CNN when they had the special about autistic children and celebrity mothers who are battling this with their children and immediately made an appointment with his pediatrician. When they had told me of the possibility, I had went into a slight depression thinking how did this happen or that there must have been something I did wrong. But he is now getting treatment and we have a good support system so I know we can beat this! Thanks Holly

I also would like to commend Holly. I have a son that is 12 who was diagnosed with Asperger’s at the age of 18 months. We started early intervention at that time and he is now mainstream. Though he does not have many friends, he has had the same 3 best friends since Kindergarten. I don’t wish anyone to have austism, but I wish everyone could feel the love they have to give. They are the most precious angels in the world. God has given him to me as a gift. My son makes me want to try and be a better person everyday. He sees no bad in people. If only everyone could be that way, what a world we would live in.

I want to commend Holly for staying on top of this cause. My son was diagnosed at 10 yr old with Asperger’s. We began to notice he was different at age 4-5. His IQ was astounding but we saw the dazed, in another place stare. Sounds and crowds aggitated him. He could not make friends. We went through the “IEP”/”special education period until he was in the 4th grade. We almost sued the school district because they were refusing to find the appropriate class for him. The district did not want to put him in gifted/talented classes because he could not interact with the other kids but they chose to put him in classes where there were children with serious developemental delays or learning disorders. He will soon be 16 and a senior and is still a gifted student academically. If it were not for our persistance with the school system, I have no idea where we’d be.. He has a few friends at school but he still keeps his distance. He is more comfortable being by himself.
Thank you for putting a voice on Autism.

Hi,I’m an Atlanta mom who knew my son was born normal. 3 months after the MMR vaccine he had his first seizure that scared me senseless. 6months later came the Autism diagnosis. He became totally nonverbal. More recently, the seizures became out of control. After taking him to an Autsim Doctor in Washington D.C. and placed on a Gluten Free diet as of Sept. 25, 2007 my son’s seizures have stopped. We haven’t even started the actual treatment (vitamin supplements) yet!! I am looking to open a Performing Arts School in Atlanta, GA for children w/ Autism and have also written a theme song in these kid’s honor.