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Beepy's avatar

when we were going into the meeting to get the results of my son’s ASD/ADHD screening, i fully expected them to say “ADHD, but no autism.” instead, the first thing out of the doctor’s mouth was, “Well, he definitely has autism . . .”

i was genuinely surprised. my immediate thought was, “No, he doesn’t have autism. He’s just the same way I was, and I don’t have au- . . . I- . . . Oh shit.”

fast forward a few years and kiddo is doing fine. it’s a mild case. the biggest challenge has been behavioral issues at school, which have been mostly resolved through painstaking cooperation with teachers/administration.

i’m also skeptical about various aspects of autism diagnosis/treatment, though i agree that the term definitely describes a real and significant thing. what throws me is the sheer range of severity. the difference in symptoms/impairment between mild and severe cases is so significant that i sometimes find it difficult to see them as the same condition.

anyway, it sounds to me like you guys are going to be fine too. you’re both obviously tuned in as parents, and the cowboy boots thing is a minor stroke of genius. i wonder how one would get that into clinical trials.

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SunshineToRoses's avatar

I don't really understand the whole "autism" diagnosis. How can a kid that can really focus down on something or be a bit what we used to call "quirky" be called the same thing as kids who have no language and can't care for themselves be the same thing? I don't like the spectrum either because aren't we all on that spectrum?

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