Autism & Asperger’s

There’s a lot of talk about autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) these days - it’s in the news, in magazines, and seems to be on the rise with children. If parents are concerned about differences in their child’s speech, behavior, and social skills when compared to other children, ASD should be considered.

Autism is a spectrum disorder, which means that it affects children in different ways, with varying degrees of severity, and at different times in their development. It can include delays in several areas of functioning, including social functioning, communication skills, motor skills, and overall intellectual potential.

ASD can generally be identified between 18 months and 3 years of age. Some parents indicate that their child "doesn’t hear them" or that their child who once had a vocabulary now speaks little to no words at all. Other parents note that their child has an area of unusual ability, such as extensive vocabulary or reading skills, for their age level. This can be a perplexing situation for parents who want their children to fit in socially and grow intellectually.

Children with ASD frequently experience academic interference and executive function issues, including problems with:

• initiating, planning, and perspective taking
• reasoning and abstract thinking
• forming relationships with peers
• emotional challenges due to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem

Autism impacts the entire family, so understanding the disorder through a neuropsychological assessment and appropriate intervention planning is a great first step.

Autism is a tough enough thing to live with every day, but add in emotional and social issues and things can get pretty overwhelming! Your ability to take all these complicated issues, bring them together, and provide clear and concise guidelines for how to make things better – how can we thank you? Of course, there are still struggles (and always will be), but we understand now how to lessen the frustration level when we see Sarah escalating. We’ll keep you posted on how she’s doing.

Thanks again.

Mark B.