I get asked this question a lot so I thought this link would help:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/navigating/pdd_nos.php
Sensory Processing Disorder and Auditory Processing Disorder fall under this category. Isaac has aspects of both. If you catch him on a "bad day" it is very clear that Isaac is different. He's oversensitive to his surroundings, has trouble communicating or doesn't communicate at all, he can be aggressive, his play becomes very rigid and repetitive, and he has odd "stimming" behaviors like spinning in circles, hand-flapping, and chewing and drooling (he's three) on days like this. On a good day, he may seem pretty normal- as long as you only ask the limited questions he will actually answer. Friends who have known us for awhile can each probably share a story of what Isaac was like before the gluten-free/dairy free diet and therapies. In fact, feel free to share a memory below.
Also, I found this article in Time about Sensory Processing Disorder that should help clear things up for those who are interested:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1689216,00.html
Those are interesting articles - thank you. Some of the milder sensory processing issues and the low muscle tone remind me of Gracie, although after the therapy she seems to have caught up pretty quickly on the large muscle skills.
ReplyDeleteIsaac has made amazing progress in the time we've known you - he said hi to me the last time you came over to play on a no-school morning, and he doesn't see me very often so I was pretty surprised when he greeted me. Mara loves it when Isaac comes to play, and they seem to enjoy their time together.
Katy, yes Gracie certainly seems to have caught up in a fairly short amount of time which is wonderful! And you're right, the mere fact that he would greet, notice, or look at you is definite progress. I'm hoping to make it to play group more with Isaac on his early dismissal days or days off, because it's been really cute to see he and Mara play together. I'm pretty sure they cured Tigger of some horrible disease last time.
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