From what I can make up from this thread, your son isn't Autistic, but has an autism spectrum disorder.

Question then, which specific disorder under the spectrum did he get diagnosed under? Aspergers, High Functioning Autism or one of the other normal to high intelligence ones?

Autism as a specific diagnosis, according to the DSM specs has a sub 100 IQ criteria. If your son is really as intelligent as you say, hes not autistic. If an IQ test later in his life shows he does fall under a 100, then either your parental feelings won't let you see that at this time, or he might have some savant caracteristics and the limited and specific area of interest where his intelligence lies is unclear to you at this time.

If he did get diagnosed as autistic, and he is as intelligent as you say, then he was diagnosed incorrectly and you should go further to get the correct diagnosis.

If you wonder why its important, just think about your sons future. Autistic children can lead a relativly normal life . But if he ever goes to a job interview and they read "autism" rather then "aspergers" or "HFA", hes screwed. Take it from someone diagnosed with Aspergers.

Originally posted by JonjoeMcHackey

Psychodump

Er....wot?
I´ll assume that was an "innocent" typo.


[edit on 6-9-2008 by Psychopump]

You are in for an amazing parenting experience!! High functioning autistic kids can be wonderful (like any "average" kiddo).

the worst part of helping a child with Autism is helping them to deal with their frustrations. many will act out very aggressively when they can't manage a noisy atmosphere, too many people, difficulty in understanding requests or instructions or constant interruptions in their daydreams

I worked with quite a few Autistic kids at the daycare and they adore routine! Set place for everything, certain clothes, favorite toys and favorite people. one little guy who also suffered cranial deformation had a "thing" about collecting certain tree leaves on his walks...he was highly tactile and would spend hours inspecting his leaves and running his fingers over them in amazement. he was a cool kid, but had an explosive temper (he nearly bit one of my finger tips off when I touched one of his leaves without asking first).

There are a TON of support groups and play groups for parents and families of Autistic kids and many schools have integrated classrooms to accommodate high functioning Autistic.

I've known many adult's with autism as well and while they can be weird sometimes they are such deep thinkers, very sensitive in many ways, have a childlike wonder than never seems to leave them, and many have a particular talent they excel at.

Depending on the level of function, a "normal" life is quite possible with supports and creative parenting

I'd recommend finding a support group in your area, your kiddo would meet other Autistic kiddos of varying levels and you as a parent would have much needed supports and insights from others dealing with the same issues.

Socializing can be a big challenge for these kids, some simply cannot tolerate too many people around and noise is an issue. Social situations can either cause them to go deeper into their daydreams or cause frustration that too many demands are being made of their attention. They don't like distractions much. They are always on task...and breaking that mind set causes discomfort and irritation.

Treating them as normal may not be completely possible, but trying to not to allow them to divulge too much time in their "heads" can really help them later on. Especially in school where constant noise and distraction is on high.

best of luck, I have no doubt you'll be fine and learn a LOT