My Family's Story

As a mother of a child with an Aspergers Diagnosis, I know how trying it can be on a daily basis. Between getting your child up in the morning, getting them off to school, making sure you have an extra item fixed at supper because of a special picky eater, running to appointments and therapies all week long and finding time for yourself is a never ending task. I've shed my share of tears, painfully & joyfully. That’s when I decided to start this support group here in White County, to reach out to other parents who may not know where to turn to for support, information, advice or just a shoulder to cry on.

My son first started out with not being able to hear and reading our lips. Once we had tubes put in his ears at 4 yr, 8 months, things started looking better. His preschool teacher could not believe the change in him. As he went onto Kindergarten, his tubes did not last 9 months and we thought everything was fine.

During his 6 yr check up, his pediatrician caught a heart murmur. We saw Dr. K a cardiologist, and our son was diagnosed with a Bicuspid Aortic Heart Valve. Luckily, no surgery was needed and we scheduled a check up in 3 years. In 1st grade 2006-2007, he had a wonderful teacher named Mrs. W, she knew something was wrong but couldn't make head or tails of him. His speech pathologist, Mrs. G, was determined to figure out what was wrong. Central Auditory Procession Disorder? ADHD? Learning Disabilities? We had no clue.

We had our son see an Audiologist and had him tested for CAPD...he couldn't finish the test due to lack of attention, there for we were at a standstill. His hearing was not perfect either and he was repeating words back incorrectly to us. She suggested the use of a Sound Amplification System (SAS), in his classroom if we could get funding for it. After a few more visits, it was time to see the Ear, Nose & Throat doctor again because his tympanograms were coming back abnormal. His eardrums were so tight they were not vibrating, no infection and no fluid.

We had a second set of tubes put in Feb 2007 (currently still in). AH....a different kid again not reading our lips and everything was LOUD for him. There was still something missing. A good friend suggested taking our son down to Riley Children's Hospital to their Child Development Center. Our appointment was for August, but we luckily got on the cancellation list and got in there in June. We had to make the tough decision to retain him for another year of 1st grade.

Once at Riley, all of our emotions poured out. We were assured we were good parents and that we were doing all we could for our son at this point in time. He was diagnosed with ADHA-IA (ADD basically). Riley suggested the SAS be put into place in his classroom when he returned to school. We started the 2nd round of 1st grade….he struggled. We felt like we struggled getting the school to budge to do anything. We were over whelmed.

Valentine’s Day 2008 we had another IEP meeting. After the meeting I was an emotional wreck and emailed Dr. S at Riley. She sent us questionnaire about ASD to fill out and send back to them, then we would meet. All the information arrived back at Riley on Feb 27th.

Finally, March 19, 2008, my son was diagnosed with Aspergers Disorder, at the age of 7 yr, 10 months. At that moment our life changed for the better....we finally had an answer that made sense for all of his oddities, anal tendencies and why he had a hard time looking us in the eye.

My son is very high functioning and very verbal, but when he has a melt down or an oops day he becomes non-verbal and shuts down. We have finished a round OT for sensory issues, we see the psychologist every 3 weeks now, Pragmatics (taking a break from), he did receives speech and counseling at school as well. Our extra activities include Boy Scouts weekly (taking the year off), Purdue's Pete's Pals Club, Therapion Therapeutic Horse Back riding and we are gearing up for 4-H and showing a steer this year.

He gets straight A's in math but lacks in reading, comprehension & writing. He has never been a child that likes to color or draw. His favorite toys are LEGOs, any Farm Equipment, Trains and those darn Bakugan balls that I have no clue how to play. His memory is crystal clear of places we have been and things we have done, but if he reads a story he cannot tell you but the basic details about it.

We have a daughter as well who is 7. She is nowhere near being on the spectrum, I joke that she is my ADHD child…never sits still. She is very outgoing and has a big booming voice.  She will definitelybe a future camp counselor and cheerleader!

I was a stay at home mom for the most part, except when I was needed to help around the farm.  I am currently working at Frontier Jr./Sr. High School as a Paraprofessional/Aide to a student in a wheelchair.  I also have a web page design business on the side.  I am also the PTO president at my children’s school, but my term is up in May (4 yrs as President), I am the Farm Bureau Assistant Womens' Leader in our county and a Young Farmers member.  I stay pretty busy but I know if I stop and slow down, I will crash...ha ha. I have a wonderful, caring husband who is very supportive and lovingly puts up with me through thick and thin.

UPDATE: Our son is now on Consult only for Speech and Counseling at school, this means more time in the classroom for him…YEA!  We have also gotten overwhelming feedback from his teachers about the progress he has made this school year.

I hope that you find the information on this web site helpful. Please feel free to contact me with any ideas or comments.