It's hard to know what life with an autistic child is until you experience it for yourself. I have a 10 year old son who has been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome for 3 years now. For the first three years of his life, I simply thought he had an attitude problem and there was nothing that could be done. Mostly the reason I felt this way is because that is what all the doctors told me. They said that it was simply a discipline problem and that I needed to have a stronger hand with him. The problem was, I tried and tried and he simply got worse. Most around thought I was too strict on him and then there were others who thought I was too lenient.

Once he started kindergarten, we knew it was time for something to be done. He was severely hyper in class and always off-subject. The doctor then decided that he had ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and placed him on Adderall. This was a godsend for us and for awhile, life was great. However, after a couple years, he became almost completely unbearable to live with. We demanded help from the doctors because by this time, we knew he had serious problems but there was nothing we could do.

He entered a program for behavioral problems and within a week, the doctor said they were thinking it was something called Asperger Syndrome. By the next visit, I had done do much research that I was able to tell them for sure, "Yes, this is what he has. It fits him perfectly!" They still did not fully know at this point, but did come to agree that it fit him perfectly. They also diagnosed him with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) and of course, agreed with the ADHD diagnosis. This began the life as we know it now.

Until next time,
Rena M. Hoskins

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