AUTISM...

I'm ignorant when it comes to the truth about autism. But I do have a son that has been diagnosed with a mild form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome. If you are interested you can read the Wik take on it here.

We knew very early on that there was something very different about our 4th son. His brothers were 16, 14, and 7 when he was born...so we had a good bit of experience raising children. No "panic" from young parents here. We just knew that something was very different. The Mrs. used to joke, "well...it WAS an old egg."

He has struggled socially, and physically. The treatment for Aspergers is mostly social therapy (helping him understand how important it is to speak to others, not be afraid of asking questions, and encouraging him not to "withdraw" in unfamiliar situations or if his "routine" has been disrupted).

It also involves physical therapy. Asperger kids are very clumsy, and don't develop physical skills as quickly as others. But they are quirky. They can be very good at "odd" physical things, but not good at all at "normal" physical things.

My son is 12 years old now, and ambidextrous. He is equally awkward with both hands. If you throw him a ball he can't catch it. And he is just as likely to throw it back with either hand. If you kick him a soccer ball, he will use either foot to kick it back. I have tried with 3 different bicycles as he has grown to teach him to ride a bicycle. We have gotten so close...but dangit...he just can't seem to separate the right brain from the left to get the pedaling down...we've gotten close...maybe one day.

He has always twirled his toys in his hands. He found a piece of pvc pipe and an elbow in the garage one day when he was about 8 and began to twirl it in his fingers (like he twirled his action figures). For Christmas that year his brothers gave him a box full of 3/4" pvc pipes cut in different lenghts, and 90 & 45 degree pvc elbows. It is fascinating to watch. His brain knows exactly which length of pipe and which elbows he needs to put together to make the perfect balance for "twirling" on a particular day.

He twirls his pipes from the time he wakes up until he heads out the door for school. He drops his pipes when he walks out the door...and picks them right back up when he gets home. He understands that he can't have them at school. He has challenges at school that I think his "pipes" might help him through, but he has matured enough that he doesn't need them. But he still finds some mental comfort twirling his pipes. He does well in school. His first report card in Middle School sported 5 A's, 1 B, and 1 C...the C was due to not turning in homework...we're working on that.

We are very blessed that our son's autism is mild, and will most likely not hamper his future. He may always need some extra help...but he is so sweet, unassuming, and intelligent. He will make it! He passes milestones. He is way behind the curve in so much, but far ahead of it in others. He will make it...

Is autism on the rise?

A blog that I frequent ran a story from the Pacific Northwest that links autism to counties there that have more precipitation. I don't know...could be. There are hundreds of theories as to why autism seems to be so prevalent.

But I have my suspicions that autism is really not on the rise. The last figures I heard were that 1 in 140 US children are autistic (autism has a very broad definition with many different syndromes involved). Think back to when you were in school. My high school had about 1,200 students. I know that there were at least 9 or 10 kids that were considered "weird." You know...they had trouble fitting in...were awkward at sports...withdrew from crowds, etc.

In those days severely autistic kids just didn't go to school. They were kept at home, or in an institution. But those 9 or 10 "iffy" kids went to school, never being diagnosed with any particular syndrome. They were just "weird."

Maybe you went to a small elementary school in a rural area. Maybe the school had 140 students. Surely, there was "that one kid" that was very odd...much different from the others. Perhaps "that one kid" was autistic. My theory is that there have always been "1 in 140." Maybe even more. We are just now recognizing the various syndromes, and trying to treat them.

One theory on the rise of autism has to do with childhood vaccinations. My 12 year old was not vaccinated as a child. There was a huge controversy over vaccinations when our last two boys were born, and we opted out. There may be some compounding of autism caused by vaccinations, but the jury is out. My opinion is that autism has always been with us, and is probably no more prevalent today than it was when Jesus walked the planet.

I'll close this by saying that The Mrs.' joke about "old eggs" could be more true than not. Many, many women are waiting until their late 30's and 40's to have children. If there is an increase in autism it is possible that she's right. But certainly, many young mothers bear autistic children.

So, my conclusion is the same as my opening...I'm ignorant when it comes to the truth about autism.