Can it be? Autism in the family?

Wow! I didn't know so much could happen in a few days. Well as I posted before we seen the news program about Autism. That sparked some interest in me to do some digging. I found an Autism Characteristic Behavior list on the internet. Out of 28 symptoms Chris and I think Logan has 14. I printed this list to take with us to the doctor yesterday. Brett got his normal twelve month checkup which included three shots and a finger poke. Poor little guy. Logan on the other hand was a lot more complicated.

The doctor checked his tonsils but of course Logan wouldn't open his mouth so I don't think he got a really good look. Once again Logan has ear infections, so he is on antibiotics for ten days. When the infection clears up he has another appointment. We also discussed our concerns about Autism with the doctor. I showed him my list which he made a copy of for himself. The doctor asked lots of questions and I think the list really helped him to take us seriously. We also told him about the staring spells Logan has. They last about thirty seconds and nothing can break Logans concentration until the spell is over. You can wave your hand in his face, shake him and even get right in his face and yell. He usually snaps out of it in thirty seconds or so, looks at you and laughs. He's so funny. I just thought he was being silly but Chris's mom thought he was having seizures.

Logan is scheduled for an EEG test tomorrow morning. It's going to be a crazy night at our house. The test requires that Logan be sleep deprived. This means we have to keep him awake until midnight then he can sleep until 4:00am. We have to wake him up then and keep him awake until his appointment in Springfield at 7:30am. That is going to be quite the task, especially keeping him awake during the 45 minute drive to Springfield.

I've been trying to read up on autism but it's so confusing. There is not a lot known about it and I don't even really think for sure that is what Logan has. We are just going to go with the flow until we figure something out. In two weeks when he goes back to the doctor he may just get his tonsils removed. If that's the case and his speech improves then we'll go from there. His speech is not the only thing we notice about him that is different. This is the list of characteristics we found. The ones with a * in front are the ones we believe are similar to Logans behavior.

no speech
*non-speech vocalizations
*delayed development of speech
*echolalia: speech consisting of literally repeating something heard
*delayed echolalia: repeating something heard at an earlier time
confusion between the pronouns "I" and "You"
lack of interaction with children
*lack of eye contact
lack of response to people
treating other people as if they were inanimate objects
when picked up offering no help (feels like a sack of potatoes)
*preoccupation with hands
flapping hands
spinning
balancing e.g. standing on a fence
walking on tiptoes
extreme dislike of certain sounds
extreme dislike of certain textures
*dislike of being touched
*either extremely passive behavior or extremely nervous, active behavior
*extreme dislike of certain foods
*behavior that is aggressive to others
lack of interest in toys
*desire to follow set patterns of behavior/interaction
*desire to keep objects in a certain physical pattern
*repetitive behavior (perserveration)
self injurious behavior
*islets of competence, areas where the child has normal or even advanced competence. Typical examples... drawing skill, musical skill, arithmetic, calendar arithmetic, memory skills, perfect pitch.

I'm going to keep looking into different neurological disorders, I want to be sure to get as much information as possible. If anyone knows anything I'd appreciate the information.

Chris and I spent almost the entire day in Springfield going to the doctor and running errands yesterday. After the kids appointment we ate at the Olive Garden. Yum. Logan loves the breadsticks and olives from the salad. Then we picked up paint for our paintball games this weekend. We had a good turn out last weekend, the weather is supposed to be really nice this coming weekend so I hope we have another good turn out.

I stayed home from church last night with Logan and Brett. I changed my hair color. :D It's amazing how doing something as simple as coloring your hair can lift your spirits. I'm sure it's just a chick thing ;). I am now a red head! Chris likes it and that's a good thing ;). Brett kept looking at me funny this morning, like he didn't recognize me.

We got Emily a Gauntlet game for the X Box yesterday also. She loves that game and would play all night long if we'd let her. We let her stay up past bedtime last night, and she was a bear this morning. Her mood changed when I threatened to not let her play gauntlet tonight though. She's addicted for sure. I love my family. Life is good :D.