it's 'national autism week'...

apologies if the is a db but news comes to me late. few of us haven't been touched by this cruel condition which covers a wide range of 'types.' my best friend's eldest daughter lives with Asperger's and she/my friend have done a wonderful job helping her develop into a wonderful young woman. she is graduating from u. of rhode island next month but her limitations are heartbreaking. knowing she will never fall in love and unlikely to ever marry or have children, it's sadly affected our friendship. we don't get together as families anymore. I think we feel guilty having three healthy boys.

I dunno... it's just uncomfortable talking about out kids when we always thought our kids would be like cousins (wayne's been my bf for 45 years, since little league). I mean we were each other's 'best man' when we married but it's become uncomfortable.

other have this problem? ???

 

My cousin has severe Aspergers and has been married for 25 years and has two great kids.

Obviously, I don't know the full situation with your friend's kid, but never underestimate how much medication can help.

 

People with Aspergers tend to be very high-functioning relative to most on the autism spectrum. That is one of the difficulties with autism, that it is something of a catch-all for a very wide range of conditions.

 

Unfortunately, going forward nobody will be diagnosed with Aspergers again. In the DSM-5 (which psychologists use to diagnose patients) it is being eliminated as a diagnosis, along with other disorders on the other end of the autism spectrum.

 

I guess the first step would be to stop calling it a cruel condition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin

It might limit their daughter in some ways, but it's not like she is a leper. Read the above link and look at some of the shit Grandin accomplished.

 

Grandin was the featured speaker at a conference I attended a while back. She really is amazing. Very witty, determined and self-aware.

Unfortunately, not everybody with autism can function at that level.

Not everybody with autism can do that. Some are much higher functioning than others.

 

Well, their friend is graduating from college.

 

Doesn't mean she doesn't have severe limitations in other areas.

 

My wife saw her speak. She came home raving about how amazing she was. Grandin also came to my area a few weeks ago, and the line outside the place stretched around the block.

 

Yeah, let me promise you something:

Parents of kids who are a little further along the spectrum don't want to hear about all the amazing things that less autistic kids are doing.

 

Most definitely true. My middle brother has autism and lives in a group home. He's 52 but child-like. Though he could never live in on his own he does OK in the group home setting.

 

Well, I think it's OK to talk freely about their child. They might actually be proud of what their child has accomplished.