Broader Autism Phenotypes

Spending the last few months reading about the suspected aetiology of autism, a lot of the theories about neurons, serotonin and oxycotin really make sense. I think anyone who lives with a child with autism, even if they are not a broader autism phenotype (BAP) themsleves will recognise aspects of their children's behaviour.

For me, as for many other parents of autistic children, learning about the continuum is a revelation but learning about BAP explains not just about the genetic link and the passing on of genes susceptible to autism but it starts to actually shine a light on your own behaviour. It was great to read this from that BAP link above:

“bored, sensitive, and isolated as I observed the social culture around me, feeling uncompelled to jump in and participate in what seemed superficially meaningless. I wasn’t entirely aloof, but I preferred being with only one friend at a time. Too many people made me edgy. Rehearsing social situations in my mind over and over and, but both before and after they had occurred, sometimes speaking them aloud to myself."

I'm still learning about the definition of BAP but informally taking some of the tests I score highly for inclusion in this category and this makes much more sense than my earlier thoughts about being on the spectrum myself, which wasn't quite a fit. I guess it's not really important in the bigger picture of getting Tokoroth the right help but as we look for answers in one place we start to ask questions in others.

Relax!

A couple of months back I think I was worried that diagnosis was taking too long while still being very aware that, for us, the process of assessment and the path towards diagnosis was put in place much more swiftly for us because a) we already suspected ASD and weren't afraid to raise it with with the health worker and b) because that same health worker has been amazing in referring him to audiology, the speech and language therapist (who was herself amazing) and organising the in-nursery assessment all within a few short months. For some people this process can take a lot, lot longer.

It wasn't enough for me though as I backflipped and somersaulted through denial and acceptance, yes he is, no he isn't, is, isn't, is, isn't, aaaaagh! I just wanted to know. But more recently, as some semblance of sanity kicked in, or what approximates sanity for me, I started to take in some of the course material I have been learning on SK124 along with the stories I was reading on other parent's blogs along with first hand accounts from people writing about their experience of autism, and started to calm down a bit.

It doesn't matter one iota if we get a diagnosis now, at age three, because they can sellotape a label to his head that says "PDD-NOS" or "HFA - Handle With Care" but we won't have a clue what sort of thirteen year old the three year old will become until, well, until he's thirteen which was exactly the point made in the comment I quoted below.

I decided that it's silly to stress over labels and diagnosis, all that's good for is getting him help in the classroom and they are already doing that sans-label. It's also entirely unneccesary to feel that I have to coax him into our world when it's clearly so much more fun in his world.