After some tears, and possibly a few episodes of Turrets on my part, I decided to suck it up and get involved in this process. I decided we better get a doctor in on the whole thing, so I asked around and found a pediatrician that came highly recommended. I'll spare you all of the details, but we discovered that Trevin has Asperger's Syndrome.
Last Wednesday, my friend Laura mentioned to me that I should read "Look Me In The Eye" by John Elder Robison. Randomly, my friend Marlene mention this same book to me about 5 years ago. I am KICKING myself for not reading it back then. I went to the Harvard Library and checked it out. I read the entire book in 24 hours. I laughed, and I cried, and I could, for the first time, understand how my Trevin's brain works.
I decided to look up John Robinson and found out that he is currently on tour promoting his new book about Asperger's and will be at the Barnes & Noble about 15 miles from my house on Thursday night. Seriously! I am so excited to meet him. AND I am going to buy his new book. (Not even at a discount, which is saying something because I am totally cheap when it comes to books!)
Now I am getting ready to meet with the school to see what accommodations he will need to function in high school. I am honestly so grateful that we are going to be able to get him the help and training he needs to be successful. I have no idea what I am doing, but I'm here to learn, right?!
My neighbor, Lori, and I had a chat this morning and I found out so much information that I am excited to use. It amazes me how sometimes the right people say just the right thing that can seriously help you out when you are struggling.
THANK YOU to Trevin's 8th Grade Team for caring enough to notice.
THANK YOU to Laura for suggesting that book!
THANK YOU to Marlene...sorry I didn't listen.
THANK YOU to John Elder Robison for sharing your experiences.
THANK YOU to Lori for your wonderful sons, and sharing your knowledge.
AND
THANK YOU to Nat for always being my sounding board for EVERYTHING!
If any of you know about Asperger's or have any advice, leave a comment!
6 comments:
Thanks for your comment on my blog.
Julie has a cousin with Aspergers syndrome and I have a brother with a mild version of it also. My brother did not figure it out until well into his adulthood. He always tested extremely high in school. He was told his IQ was 160. In his 20's he was basically homeless, but when he found out his brain was wired different everything blossomed. He is now married, has a very nice home in Vegas and can be described as a productive member of society. I am sure after your reading you know more about this than me now, but I think knowing why he was different than everyone else has helped him understand what is different and how to deal with it.
I love Trevin~! I'm with you! I always knew he was sooo smart! My neighbor boys have aspergers and they are the greatest things in our lives! Their oldest is Cody and he is extrememly high functioning aspergers, which makes him difficult to get along with family wise, but neighbor wise he is sooo helpful! I love him! Aspergers has its challenges, but we are all spiritual beings having a HUMAN experience! Love you guys!
Steph, I know it is hard to hear that there could be something wrong with your child, and I'm sure it was not easy to hear. You are doing all the right things. We have to accept our children for who they are and not what we want them to be, and you are being very proactive about it. Educating yourself and meeting with people is exactly what you should be doing. You're a great mom and Trevon is a great kid. You are in a state with some of the top Doctors in the nation. You can do this and I hope your meeting the author goes well.
Aspergers is really prevalent in my family! We found out several years ago that Mason has it, and so do many of his cousins..another good book you might like is "Losing Our Minds; Gifted Children Left Behind" by Deborah Ruf.
It's great that you are in a good location for schools! What district are you in? Jesse's sister has her Ph.D. in educational psychology and is the district counselor in the Boston area....
Be careful when you start looking at IQ scores- the scales and tests changed sometime during the 80s, so people who took tests before that are on a whole different scale than the newer tests. But that book I suggested covers all that... basically when you look at someone's score, you just need to know which test they were given.
I LOVE that you found an answer... it can be the most freeing thing to realize that there are reasons your child has certain needs, and that they are NEEDS. Welcome to the journey!!!!
Hey woman!
I tried e-mailing you and wasn't sure if I still had the right one or if you're just ignoring me. Can you please check your e-mail and if it's not there, can you e-mail me and I'll try it again?
Thank you, you're the BEST!
Steph-
I never would have thought that- He doesn't act like some kids I know with it so I'm guessing he's got a mild version. But I haven't been around him much either, glad you are getting help.
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