Scribble Scrabble by Irishcoda

In the meme I just answered, I said doctors should find a cure for autism. Autism has been on my mind a lot the last few months. After we determined that there was nothing wrong with the little guy's hearing, I began to suspect he might be on the autistic spectrum. He's been through several evaluations and he's diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified. Now what the heck is that? Doesn't that just sound like a "we-don't-know-where-else-to-put-you" category!

Until we got that diagnosis, I was going back and forth about whether or not the little guy might be autistic. On the one hand, when he moved back in with us we saw right off that he was stuck in some rigid, ritualistic behaviors. What I mean is, when he'd play with toys it would be the same over and over. Open the container, take toy out, put toy back in, close the container. The variation would be an imitation of what TB figured out were the automatic doors at supermarkets and other stores. Two objects are the doors that slide open, another toy passes through, the doors close. At first, he refused to consider any other way of playing with his toys. He also had a ritualistic path to take around our backyard when he'd go out to play. He didn't respond consistently when we'd call his name or talk to him.

And yet, on the other hand, he makes lots of eye contact with us. He is affectionate with us. He seems to enjoy being with other kids as long as they don't touch him. That didn't quite fit in with what I thought of as autism.

So that's why there's this "not otherwise specified" category. It's because the little guy has some autistic characteristics but not others. I bought several books about pervasive developmental disorder. Some were helpful, some weren't.

We love our little guy as he is. So why would I want a cure? Because...

You want your child to have a care free life. You want him or her to grow up, have many friends, get married, and have children. We can't predict the future for our little guy, but I can guess it's not going to be trouble free.

His dad was upset because a doctor told him, "typically children like this aren't potty-trained until they are 5 or 6."

My first reaction: so what?

But at the same time, I know about societal expectations and if the little guy is mainstreamed, it could be an issue used against him by his classmates.

Will he relate well to others? Will he be able to hold a job and support himself? Will he marry and have children?

I don't know.

Part of living with a loved one with a developmental (or even psychological disorder like bipolar) is that you have to let go of certain dreams--especially of the perfect life for the kid.

By the way, there are some excellent shorts on youtube about autism. One is about how it affects parents, which I got off a blogstream blog called Austism--Oh The Places You Will Go. The film clip is here and it is so moving!

Now, here is a link to an amazing video clip by Silentmiaow and is the reason I would want a cure for autism. She knows what the reality is in this world. Watch this and experience first hand that even the most cognitively disabled person is aware of their surroundings.

Things are said in front of the little guy and I keep saying, "you know, he understands a lot more than we know."

The little guy does not have unusual body movements and he is speaking a little. Although pervasive developmental disorders cover all forms of autism, I found more specific information about that not otherwise specified category:

Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified
(PDD-NOS)

Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) is a 'subthreshold' condition in which some - but not all - features of autism or another explicitly identified Pervasive Developmental Disorder are identified. PDD-NOS is often incorrectly referred to as simply "PDD." The term PDD refers to the class of conditions to which autism belongs. PDD is NOT itself a diagnosis, while PDD-NOS IS a diagnosis. The term Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS; also referred to as "atypical personality development," "atypical PDD," or "atypical autism") is included in DSM-IV to encompass cases where there is marked impairment of social interaction, communication, and/or stereotyped behavior patterns or interest, but when full features for autism or another explicitly defined PDD are not met.

It should be emphasized that this ''subthreshold'' category is thus defined implicitly, that is, no specific guidelines for diagnosis are provided. While deficits in peer relations and unusual sensitivities are typically noted, social skills are less impaired than in classical autism. The lack of definition(s) for this relatively heterogeneous group of children presents problems for research on this condition. The limited available evidence suggest that children with PDD-NOS probably come to professional attention rather later than is the case with autistic children, and that intellectual deficits are less common.

The little guy continues to do great and that's really all that matters right now.