Long Awaited

When Kasper was younger I thought, man, is this kid a handful. I actually started to genrallize, this is how little boys act.

My mother thought there was something wrong. I hate to admit that that she could be right about anything, so I wont.

When he was 5 he started Kindergarten, where the teachers pulled us aside within a week to tell us that he needed help.

Diagnosis started but had only gone so far as some Sensory Disorder with a buckets of ADHD.

Then we moved to Iceland and started from square one.

This I now wish I had done different, but you know, hindsight....

The doctor that we got that 'specialized in these kids' hardly looked at him. Decided he simply needed more Ritalin, and that was that. But he was put on a very long waiting list for further diagnosis.

When he was 7 we took him off the medication. Honestly the stuff was a nightmare. He was depressed, not eating and he was not actually getting any better.

The school was very angry.

So we paid a Psychologist to do a 'Starter' assessment, so he could get help in school. Results: Aspergers. (Autistic Spectrum)

Couple more years go by while we wait for a full assessment. Kasper get a teachers aid at school, but the schools are a little cheap with this and anyone can get the job. NO one knows what to do with him. He does not learn anything at school.

I am getting really good at teaching him at home.

Then finally, this fall we get to the top of the list. Kasper starts some serious tests.

After seeing several specialists for lots of tests over several weeks, his diagnosis has changed. Now they say he is Atypical Autism. A sort of mixed bag between Asperger's and regular Autism with a bunch of ADHD, which seems to be a part of it.

I don't understand either, but I plan too. I have a lot of reading to do.

So the bad news is that a label like Autism sounds a little harsh.

The good news is that now he can get into a special school that he will do well in.

The funny news is that it was kind of like winning a game show prize. They gave us coffee, cookies and a free book to explain our child. Best part was they just had it translated from English.

They ask, Are you surprised? I don't know.