My son has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.

I have a 12 year old son with Autism,who was diagnosed when he was 3. He's doing great thanks to the wonderful therapists and teams at his school. He attends a school for disabled children, a therapuetic day school. DON'T GIVE UP HOPE. There is help out there. Contact your school district. They'll do up an IEP for him and are required by law to provide services, and if they can't, have to send him somewhere that can. And they have to pay for everything! Also, contact your local chapter of the Autism Society of America. check out www.autism.org, too. There's sites all over the net that can help guide you. I have done lots of research myself, so I know how tough it can be. Good luck, and if you want to talk further, just send me a note! Just remember, this really doesn't change who your son is, it just makes him more special! ;)

You've been given a lot of information already which is wonderful to see! I just wanted to give you encouragement! How do you deal with it? YOU JUST DO! The same way you would if your doc told you your son was alergic to flowers, or told you your son had 6 toes instead of 5! It is part of who your son is and it's not going to change him. My daughter also has a mild form of autism however I've been dealing with different levels of autism for 10 years. Your child will probably need some *special* help, extra doc appointments, some therapy appointments, a little push in school but life as you know it today will probably not dramatically change just because you finally have a diagnosis! Now, at least, you have answers and you can move forward! So relax, breathe, and go give that special son of yours a great big hug! Hugs to you too!

I don't know any one with autism but I have heard alot about it. What exactly is autism?

I am sorry I didn't get to your discussion earlier. My nephew (brothers son) was diagnosed with Aspergers a little over one year ago. He was 9 years then, & is ten now. I think it was a shock to my brother. How old is your son? I have spent a lot of time looking into Aspergers. My daughter has an Aspergers friend in her class, & there are at least two other Aspergers students in her year level. A friend of mine also has an Aspergers daughter. A great deal can be done for Aspergers now. They can go to "normal" schools, but may qualify for special assistance. Not all aspergers children have academic problems, some are gifted. Your son may need an "assistant" in the yard with him at play times, to help him learn to socialise. In Australia, the Autism association provides a great deal of help for Aspergers. There are socialisation classes, coffee mornings for parents, guest speakers, etc. Some Aspegers children have an obsession, which can turn into a gift. Encourage activities your son is skilled at. I know of at least one Aspergers adult on this forum who may respond to you.

My son was diagnosed when he was about 3. We had no clue what to do. I researched on the internet, found a support group and read a lot of books. He is now 12 and doing really well. We found a doctor in Austin, TX that believes that Autism is caused from polutants in the environment. My son had a lot of heavy metals in his system and this causes a triggering of the herpes virus in children. It attacks the nerves in their brains causing the sensitivities that all Austistic children have. We placed him on Valtrex and he went through a natural detox as well. Within 2 months we were seeing results. I never would have believed it. In 6 months he no longer had to take any of the medications for ADHD that he was on, in fact he told me himself that he did not need them any more. He has started eating all types of foods with the exception of beef. Before he would only eat macaroni and cheese, and chicken nuggets. I would encourage you to try to find a doctor in your area that believes in all natural treatments. Research and find as much information that you can. There is hope at the end of the tunnel.

I am a speech and language therapist in the school system and I have 3 students of varying ages with Aspergers Syndrome. Autism is a wide spectrum syndrome -- it ranges from people who are unable to communicate verbally to people who are considered to be extremely high functioning. The best thing to do is to make sure that you find what makes them happy and unhappy and help them learn how to deal with the things that make them unhappy. Socializing is a major factor with people with autism. If your child is of school age, make sure that you let the school know because they may be eligible for accomodations and modifications to help them function in a regular education setting. If you have any questions, I will be happy to try and answer them. By no means am I an expert on Autism, but I do have experience in the school setting. =)

My son is having aspergus syndrome. He is now 15 and we could notice it only when he was 7 or 8. Since then we have been taking him to psychiatrist who is giving him counselling. I was told and I experienced that aspergus syndrome people need concretising of the facts and then only they react to things. Otherwise they keep away from it. Socializing is a problem. Most aspergus syndrome people (luckily my son too) have immaculate memory power and excessive concentration power. They have a photo mirror effect in their minds. You can get back to me if you are more interested in medication what the psychiatrists have prescribed and other things.