Girls, Boys, and Autism

Newsweek ^ | 8 September 2003 | Geoffrey Cowley

[Lorianne]

Girls, Boys and Autism By Geoffrey Cowley, Newsweek

Andrew Bacalao has a good, sharp mind. At 13, he's a decent pianist, a devotee of Frank Lloyd Wright, a master at videogames and jigsaw puzzles. He remembers phone numbers like a Pocket PC, and he can dismantle a radio or a flashlight in the time it takes some people to find the power switch.

[Mfkmmof4]

Wow!! To think my autistic child could have a normal life is amazing.

[Incorrigible]

Autism Bump...

[MainFrame65]

Very interesting. I have a nephew with Asperger syndrome that just won a state piano competition. He gets almost all A's in school (8th grade), but he is very difficult to converse with.

[Rabid Dog]

Thanks for the ping! Good article - interesting compare/contrast with Williams Syndrome/Autism.

[CaptainK]

If it's true that 80% of those with autism are male then how could people defend the mercury theory? What would be the explanation for it's relative lack of affect on females?

[truthkeeper]

What an interesting article. My grandson, now 5 1/2 (high-functioning autistic) will be starting regular kindergarten on Thursday. He's really into cars, TRAINS, Nintendo, clocks and time, and the temperature (at all hours of the day and night).

Another little quirk is his fascination with California's freeway system. He always points out to me that we're on "the 5 east" or "the 605 north." His favorite channel is (don't laugh) The Weather Channel. He could watch it for hours. A couple of weeks ago they were showing weather patterns, freeway systems, and following the progress of one of the hurricanes. Tanny ran in the kitchen, all out of breath, and yelled, "Grandma! OMG...the 10 FREEWAY IS IN ARIZONA!!" (We're in Southern California.)

I laughed for 2 days. He is such a delight, and sooooo smart.
A big BTTT for the article.

[Mfkmmof4]

Thanks for sharing about your grandson. I have a 12 year old high-functioner. He can drive dead people to drink. But he is into Nintendo, that 70's show and wrestling ... he is now at the point where I can leave him alone in the house for short periods of time but then I call him from my cell every 15 minutes only to hear "stop calling me Mom".

He is hung up on remembering everyone's birthday .. even people I don't know. :)

[truthkeeper]

Sounds just like mine. Also, he can "why" me to death on just about everything. "Are you going somewhere, Grandma? Why are you putting your shoes on? WHY?" LOL

[Mfkmmof4]

I get the whys and if I cannot give him an answer he gets louder and louder and then I am screaming right back at him. Then later on he will apologize and expect me to as well :)

[alnick]

I work with a 17-year-old who is developmentally disabled, and I suspect that he has a touch of autism.

He loves weather reports. A couple of weeks ago we were watching the channel that rebroadcasts the local news over and over and over again all day long, and I would say to him, "Super Dopplar 6000" (or whatever it is), and that would make him giggle.

We watched the rebroadcast of the same news program for two and a half hours.

My older brother is clasically autistic, and he has certain things that he just loves, for reasons that nobody knows.

[Mfkmmof4]

One thing I did hear on tv that really broke my heart was he definition of autism. It is like someone came in during the night and stole your child's once working body. I cried buckets over that statement.

[ChemistCat]

When I realized it was more armor than barrier, I stopped grieving so much.

So many things that hurt and bother me will simply never worry my son. He could not possibly care less what anybody thinks of him. He is smart and funny and almost always a good, obedient child. He's almost 12 and hasn't had a "best friend" till this year. It's amazing to watch how he blooms. You have to tell him ALL the things other people automatically understand about friendship.

Funny things happen all the time. His odd use of language ALWAYS has some sense behind it if you look at it right. He tries to make rules apply across the board, though they rarely do.

My mom was IM'ing with him. She told him about finding her old Poloroid camera in a box. My son typed, "What the hell is a Poloroid camera???!" in great big green letters. My mom said, "You aren't supposed to use that word!" and he retorted, "Poloroid, Poloroid, Poloroid!"

[alnick]

One thing I did hear on tv that really broke my heart was he definition of autism. It is like someone came in during the night and stole your child's once working body. I cried buckets over that statement.

I have a very different perspective. Since I'm younger than my brother, I've never known life without a severely autistic brother, so autism has alway seemed perfectly normal to me. I mean, I know that he's different, but he's always been happy and well loved and cared for, so I've never really been sad about his condition. He's also very physically healthy, so we're really blessed in that way.

[alnick]

My mom was IM'ing with him. She told him about finding her old Poloroid camera in a box. My son typed, "What the hell is a Poloroid camera???!" in great big green letters. My mom said, "You aren't supposed to use that word!" and he retorted, "Poloroid, Poloroid, Poloroid!"

I love that story. He sounds like a very lovable kid.

[Mfkmmof4]

All of these posts are great. The best we can also do as we already are is to give them as much of a "normal" life as possible. Once I started doing that with Daniel then he started showing progress. Oh, it has been a long road to hell and back but worth the trip.

If not for many of the teachers who love him I may have given up. But he has come further then I had ever hoped and the best part he has not stopped learning.

[truthkeeper]

One thing I did hear on tv that really broke my heart was he definition of autism. It is like someone came in during the night and stole your child's once working body. I cried buckets over that statement.

I am sorry that hurt you so. Truly, I don't see it like that.
I'll bet many of you are familiar with the following essay - "Welcome to Holland" - but for those who aren't, please read this one. It was written by the mother of a Down's Syndrome child, but it just as fitting for our special little ones. Here is the addy (I don't know how to link):
http://www.nas.com/downsyn/holland.html

[truthkeeper]

I get the whys and if I cannot give him an answer he gets louder and louder

Same here! I finally have to end it with something profound, like "BECAUSE I SAID SO, THAT'S WHY."

[kaki]

Admittedly, I do not know enough about Autism, but this past week I was on the beach with my grandchildren and my grandson was asked by a precious, outgoing boy (about his age) to come see his fish. I followed and asked the boy what his name was. He answered me, but as with any 2-4 year old, I just assumed I could not understand him. He and my grandson continued to play and have a wonderful time. In the meantime, I met his mother, ( and grandmother) who told me that he was autistic. This child was so outgoing and happy that it was never evident to me he had any problems. The "GREAT NEWS" is that his mother had just returned from a two-day "something" to become a representative for these children in the state of West Virginia. Trust me, if this lady gets a chance, these kids will have a wonderful voice!!

[truthkeeper]

GREAT post. I loved it.