In the Spectrum

You might have heard that our son, Seb, has been diagnosed with the Autism Spectrum Disorder. Still, you wonder, how can it be that a normal-looking, cheerful and otherwise silly kid could be considered autistic? What makes Seb autistic? I mean, in most appearances, he seems like a normal boy.

Well, friends, let me explain what makes Seb autistic and, therefore, so different from other kids. The following is a partial list intended to shed some light on Seb’s autism. As a unique, special kid, who happens to have been given a diagnosis of autism, Seb is:

• Partial to a limited variety of food: mac ‘n’ cheese, veggie lasagna, and chicken nuggets;
• Obsessed with wheels and other spinning things;
• Often found to be twirling himself in circles;
• Unable to point at anything with his finger;
• In possession of a perfect pitch;
• Able to sing in tune;
• Naturally gifted with echoalia;
• Intolerant of any interruption to his routine;
• Enraged by imperfection;
• Anxious and fearful in the observance of typical cultural rituals like changing calendars and the top of the hour;
• Overwhelmed in crowded rooms to the point of tears;
• Prone to inconsolable crying tears and runaway meltdowns;
• Unwilling to use the toilet like a normal person;
• Frightened by or unusually interested in harsh sounds, like automatic hand dryers and electric vacuum cleaners;
• Afraid of normal childhood activity, like petting dogs and riding on carousels;
• Extremely disappointed upon separation with friends;
• In denial of eye contact;
• Charming;
• Unable to sleep regularly and consistently;
• Lacking in attention to two- and three-step routines;
• Seeking self-stimulation in the forms of sound and light;
• Constantly seeking sensory input, like poking his eye with his finger until it turns red, picking his nose until it bleeds, biting his lip until it scars, hitting friends, running into people, flapping his hands about his wrists, and walking on his toes;
• Burdened with stereotypies, like hand flapping and grimacing;
• Unaware of his peers;
• Intensely focused on and quite comfortable with a monotonous activity;
• Referring to everyone, including himself, in the third person;
• Challenged to develop fine motor skills, like holding a pen and using scissors;
• Uncoordinated in his development of gross motor skills, like running and jumping;
• Taught otherwise naturally developing language skills, like pragmatics. For example, instead of saying that the water is cold, Seb used to say that the water is not hot;
• Easily distracted;
• Hyperlexic; and
• Quirky.

Actually, Seb’s autism is not half of what it used to be. The above list is cumulative but not necessarily current. Some of these behaviors have already been mitigated or overcome. Seb has even developed quite a sense of humor and a typical fondness for mischief. Yesterday, after coming inside from riding his scooter home from the park, Seb dropped his helmet in the middle of the tiled entryway floor. When I called him out and pointed at his helmet, he laughed with glee and proceeded to put it away.

Seb has made a lot of progress since his first visit to the pediatric neurologist a couple of years ago. With thanks to the understanding and recommendations of Dr. McIntosh, during the past two years, Seb has undergone more than 30 hours per week of intensive behavioral therapy. What other kids learn naturally on their own, Seb has been taught by a contingent of therapists mobilized to practice a battery of therapies, including occupational, speech, sensory integration, and auditory processing and applied behavioral analysis. With this very early intervention, we believe Seb is more likely to seem like a normal kid.