That Was Then This is Now

One of the common questions I get asked when I tell parents of newly diagnosed children that I have AS, is “what were you like at my child’s age?”

Every individual on the spectrum is different and how symptoms present in early childhood doesn’t always predict adult outcome. For instance, I’ve heard of cases of children who didn’t speak until they were seven who grew up do be doctors, and individuals who were reading at age one who didn’t progress much beyond when they were in preschool. I’ve read from the literature that language development by age 5 usually means a more favourable outcome.

What was I like as a child?

6 months –beginning to say single words. Dad noticed as a baby that I would not regularly track faces.

14 months-speaking in full sentences. My first obsession was plugs and I’d say “don’t go near the dangerous plugs.”

Preschooler-Advanced vocabulary for my age, frequent temper tantrums, clumsy, started to reject being hugged or touched by most people, still did not make eye contact. I engaged in imaginary and organizational play. Sometimes I liked to sort my toys, other times I liked to play pretend.

Elementary school –At age six I showed a 40 point discrepancy between my verbal and performance IQ (performance in the borderline range, verbal in the high average range). I stated attending OT at age 8 and was beginning to learn to make eye contact. I still developed strong interests in particular topics. For instance, at age 9, I would approach strangers in the park and interview them about their cats. I showed strength in my creative writing and memory abilities from an early age.

Junior High and high school: tantrums and self-control were still somewhat of an issue. I still enjoyed imaginary play. My strengths in academics remained although I needed additional time for math exams and often used a computer to type essays due to motor issues. Gym class was a challenge for me due to coordination issues (particularly perception and kinesis of motion). I began regularly making eye contact. I won several awards for poetry , essays, and public speaking.

Young adult/now: I no longer have tantrums due to appropriate medical and psychological intervention. My social and conversation skills continue to develop. As of a few years ago, I learned to read negative facial expressions. I excel in most courses other than calculus and chemistry. I enjoy creative writing, simulation games, swinging, trampolining, blogging, my psychology courses, and spending time with my family and animals. I am currently unable to drive due to perceptual and processing issues. My parents and professionals believe that I will eventually find successful employment in a knowledge-based position that capitalizes on my strengths. I am very excited to be involved in a psychology research project this year and have future dreams of going to graduate school to be a researcher.

Note: The photo above is of me at age 10 with our cat, Checker. Checker is now almost 14 years old.