Vinny is going to be 9 this April and is seen to everyone as quiet, and shy. He loves the computer, playstation, and yu-gi-oh cards. He loves wrestling and can remember all their stats. He is very smart and loves science and math. He is in a mainstream school this year he has been going in the classroom without separation anxiety. He receives special ed for an hour a day in an 8:1 ratio, and gets OT 2x a week. He has a lot of children that like him but he prefers to socialize with a handful of kids who he has known since first grade. Vinny does not like people to look at him much especially after school he can easily have a meltdown over something simple because a school day is very overwhelming for him but we know him and his routine and we have learned to follow his lead and give him space.
When Matthew started crawling I started realizing he would drag a leg, and little things his arms developed a problem where the joint at the elbow would come displaced very easily, the doctor's had to teach us how to fix the problem by simply bending his arm up to the shoulder and holding it in place. We now know he is double jointed. He also was not talking by 18 months he drooled a lot and would keep his mouth closed and talk through his teeth, he used to pull me around the house desperately trying to communicate with me and tell me what he wanted.
Sometimes he would get these really bad fits were he would smack me very hard in the face with all of his might, or move the furniture around to climb in the window and just sit there like a cat. He hated holding our hand outside and still does, and he was easily frustrated. I always sang to all of my children to soothe them but he would act like my voice pained him, and even my affection.
As time started to pass we realized something was really wrong and they told me he may dart into the street, and he will have no sense of danger but they could not diagnose him until age 3.
He continually got ear infections and his new doctor told me he was special, his response to touch was different....but still no answers.
It took his behavior and speech to finally that really made me pursue this, I finally now got a diagnosis for Matthew ....he was evaluated 4 times.
Matthew is 4 years old and has “Aspergers Syndrome” (mildly Autistic) He also has Low muscle tone, speech delay.
Matthew now is in a mainstream Pre-K class until his paperwork is complete but will be moved to a self-contained or inclusion class, that he will receive sensory therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, ABA, and psychotherapy.
Here is the face of Autism NO JOY, NO REACTION, it's all gone sometimes you can get that smile out of him but smiles come rare so do hugs and kisses.
It feels like sometimes someone came in the middle of the night and robbed us.
