Autism,
We've known our son was exceptional since he was about 18 months old. He had many interesting and quirky ways about him. One of the things that stood out was he seemed to have no desire to interact with anyone who was not in our immediate family. This included aunts, uncles, cousins and even grandma (yep). His twin brother was a social butterfly, leading family members to perceive him (Krisjon) as the "mean twin", or "the one that doesn't like anybody".
As the boys continued to grow, their personalities couldn't be more distinctive. My roots as an early childhood professional have always encouraged me to embrace individualism. That being said, I was never concerned that one of ours sons enjoyed traditional toys and the other preferred manipulative style items such as empty bottles, string, tape etc. I viewed it as unique and creative!
What did begin to peak my interest was the social aspect of things. Krisjon did not seem to understand personal boundaries (ex: If I held him he would often slap my cheeks with both hands very hard or head butt me in the stomach not comprehending how much it hurts). He still, now at the age of 3, was extremely reserved about interacting with others. He was often frustrated with fine motor activities and was extremely active (running back and forth through the house, spinning in circles, screaming, and jumping off beds).
Our initial suspicion was we may have Attention Deficit (ADHD is in the family). After learning a little more about ASD, my partner and I briefly discussed this as possibility as well. We voiced our developmental concerns to our pediatrician. After a few observations and a visit to a child specialist, Krisjon was diagnosed with autism spectrum at the age of 4.
As a family we are now focusing on learning all we can about autism, and how we can assist/support our child. We have our good days and our not so pleasant ones but we always make it through. We are currently working with our son on his aggression towards others and trying to help him connecting with other children. We are also focusing milestones relevant to starting school.
Our Autism Story
As the boys continued to grow, their personalities couldn't be more distinctive. My roots as an early childhood professional have always encouraged me to embrace individualism. That being said, I was never concerned that one of ours sons enjoyed traditional toys and the other preferred manipulative style items such as empty bottles, string, tape etc. I viewed it as unique and creative!
What did begin to peak my interest was the social aspect of things. Krisjon did not seem to understand personal boundaries (ex: If I held him he would often slap my cheeks with both hands very hard or head butt me in the stomach not comprehending how much it hurts). He still, now at the age of 3, was extremely reserved about interacting with others. He was often frustrated with fine motor activities and was extremely active (running back and forth through the house, spinning in circles, screaming, and jumping off beds).
Our initial suspicion was we may have Attention Deficit (ADHD is in the family). After learning a little more about ASD, my partner and I briefly discussed this as possibility as well. We voiced our developmental concerns to our pediatrician. After a few observations and a visit to a child specialist, Krisjon was diagnosed with autism spectrum at the age of 4.
As a family we are now focusing on learning all we can about autism, and how we can assist/support our child. We have our good days and our not so pleasant ones but we always make it through. We are currently working with our son on his aggression towards others and trying to help him connecting with other children. We are also focusing milestones relevant to starting school.
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