
Donald Grey Triplett: The first boy diagnosed as autistic - CarolineW
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35350880
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scardine
My ~2 years old son was diagnosed with autism last October. Looks like it is
on the good side of the spectrum, but it almost ruined my marriage - my wife
didn't take it well, and we probably lost precious months arguing about his
symptoms.

The earlier you are diagnosed the better, so if you are suspicious, just go
see a good specialist. Your family may try to talk you down: "he is just very
introvert". Go se an expert neurologist anyway.

In my personal experience neurologists are better at this than psychiatrists.
Most shrinks asked to see me and my wife alone on the first session, these are
the wrong doctors: do not waste time with anyone that refuses to see the child
on the first session. Do not waste time with anyone that is not specialized in
autism. Specialists may be expensive but they are worth.

~~~
hoopism
"The earlier you are diagnosed the better, so if you are suspicious, just go
see a good specialist. Your family may try to talk you down: "he is just very
introvert". Go se an expert neurologist anyway."

This. For ANY parent that suspects their child may have a learning disability
or developmental delay RUN to get assistance. Many states offer early
intervention to help with speech and motor delays.

My daughter got into EI around 12 months old and was diagnosed with ASD at 16
months. A diagnosis unlocks therapy and therapy (ABA anyway) is largely a play
based program that helps your child build skills by breaking them down into
much more fundamental blocks.

Speech therapy has unlocked a tremendous amount in terms of her ability to
interact and communicate.

A diagnosis is just a key... maybe it's wrong... maybe they will outgrow it...
it doesn't matter. A diagnosis doesn't mean your child will be subject to
dangerous medication or institutionalization... it just means they will get
help.

It kills me to see parents reluctant to get help due to stigma or refusal to
acknowledge their child is struggling. There's no shame in giving your child
every advantage possible.

~~~
rprospero
Just last month, at the age of thirty-three, I was officially diagnosed as
autistic by the NHS. Could some things in my life have been easier if I had
been diagnosed earlier? Certainly. On the other hand, out of all the diagnoses
to have missed, autism was a lucky break. It's not degenerative. I didn't get
more autistic from thirty years of not taking my autism meds. I was never in
any danger of dying of autism.

I'm not saying that hoopism did anything wrong. That is one very lucky
daughter to have such an involved patent. I'm merely saying that you're not
going to ruin your child's life if you don't catch it right away. It seems
like parents are under a lot of pressure and I just wanted to say, as someone
who has been on the other side of it, that your kids aren't going to hate you
if you accidentally miss this one.

~~~
hoopism
Thanks for the comment and I hope with your diagnosis comes some comfort (I am
also 33). There's a saying that I think is worth repeating here: "If you've
met one person with Autism, you've met one person with Autism". Really is hard
to generalize in this population.

My statement is really geared toward the parents who suspect something but are
either scared or waiting for things to change on their own. I just want them
to know that it's not a huge burden to go speak with a professional and it may
make a big impact. I didn't mean for it to sound as if not doing so would
condemn you child... I just mean that it's a small investment (getting
checked) with a potentially big payoff (early therapy).

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yitchelle
Reading this article gives me much hope for my two boys. They are both
diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. I am also borderline as well.

What I have observed so far aligns with the article, the surrounding community
(social, education, family etc)plays a big part in having a lesser complicated
life.

Thanks for sharing.

~~~
pmelendez
You are not alone and things go better overtime :)

~~~
sundvor
Yep. Socializing plays an enormous part in that; more over, finding friends
who accept you as you are. Still, there will be hard times.

~~~
pmelendez
>Still, there will be hard times.

Very true... specially when they are toddlers and their tantrums are mistaken
for bad behaviour.

I had hard times with my child in the winter without a car and around of very
judgemental people.

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marincounty
"The town itself played a part in Donald's excellent outcome - the roughly
3,000 people of Forest, Mississippi, who made a probably unconscious but clear
decision in how they were going to treat this strange boy, then man, who lived
among them. They decided, in short, to accept him - to count him as "one of
their own" and to protect him."

People ask, "What am I missing living on the east, or west coasts?"

I might be stereotyping, but you are missing people who care, or just don't
act like they care. There's a sense of morality that is just not here.

(I don't want to argue with anyone. This is just my opinion.)

~~~
CocaKoala
(that's a small town vs. big city divide, not a coastal vs. flyover state
divide)

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romanovtexas
I am from India, and my younger brother is autistic. What the article states
about the role of the surroundings and the awareness about autistic people is
really true. I have been facing lots of hardships getting him into a proper
school.

