| Autistic two-year old child expelled from nursery | | | | highly recommend that you first turn to your |
| school! Sound extreme? We were totally | | | | pediatrician and then follow up with a child |
| unprepared for this. The teacher called us aside | | | | psychologist who specializes in the recognition of |
| one day and asked that we remove the child | | | | the specific symptoms of all the aspects of |
| from nursery school. She explained that he was | | | | autism. |
| disturbing the other members of the class and | | | | The day of the first evaluation arrived. We feared |
| she also had complaints from the other parents. | | | | the worst, and hoped for the best. A second visit |
| To us it meant that children with behavior | | | | was scheduled and it was at the conclusion of this |
| problems outside the normal range were not | | | | session that she sat down and talked with us |
| accepted. Well, that was the last straw. | | | | about the diagnosis. She indicated that her findings |
| A call was placed to the pediatrician explaining | | | | concluded he did not have aspergers syndrome, |
| what had happened and an appointment was | | | | but instead was suffering from sensory |
| scheduled with the doctor for an evaluation. The | | | | integration dysfunction. She wisely recommended |
| pediatrician had always been of the opinion that | | | | reading a book she gave us. I confess that as I |
| the child he had known since birth was within the | | | | began reading the book, it was difficult to put it |
| guidelines of normal. The nursery school | | | | down until it was read completely. Reading this |
| experience convinced him to take another look. | | | | book helped us recognize the symptoms of |
| Fortunately for us, the doctor was experienced | | | | sensory integration dysfunction, but best of all, it |
| with autism, as his daughter has asperger's | | | | taught us how to begin helping the child cope. |
| syndrome. This time he spent an hour alone with | | | | More importantly, there was hope for |
| the child and came to the conclusion that perhaps | | | | improvement. The psychologist also |
| he might have asperger's syndrome. We were | | | | recommended that we start immediate physical |
| devastated. The doctor consoled us with the fact | | | | therapy at a therapy center for children. We |
| that he was high functioning. He followed up by | | | | called and scheduled him for an evaluation. They |
| giving us the name and phone number of a child | | | | verified his diagnosis and scheduled him for regular |
| psychologist who was experienced in determining | | | | therapy treatments once a week to be adjusted |
| between the different types of autism. | | | | as he progressed. Since the parents both worked, |
| An appointment was made for the initial | | | | I went with him and was privileged to witness |
| evaluation. The doctor explained that two sessions | | | | each visit and his response. I must admit that I |
| would be required; the first with the child and his | | | | was not a believer at first. I just could not |
| caregivers, and the last one with the child alone. | | | | connect physical therapy and an improvement of |
| The cost of the evaluation, at the time, seemed | | | | his behavioral problems. Well, was I ever wrong! |
| very expensive, but thinking back on it, it was the | | | | He began to improve with each visit and at the |
| turning point in all our lives. If you are considering | | | | end of a year we were able to discontinue the |
| what to do for a child you suspect has autism, I | | | | treatments. |