Mom with two great boys!

by Shari
(California)

So my 4-yr old all of a sudden finds himself in Kindergarten (we just moved to Cali from another state and the birthday cut-off is December; his is November). He had been attending the same daycare since he was 6 weeks old and I always heard what a smart little boy he was. His kindergarten teacher has a different viewpoint. No! She does not say he isn't smart, but he is definitely challenged! He avoids making eye contact and has a hard time getting along with his classmates. His communication skills are lacking and will only give one-word responses when spoken to ~ at school. At home, he talks up a storm and only avoids eye contact when in trouble. This is the same little boy who is amazing with computers and electronic equipment, such as gaming devices, TV and DVD player (which he figured out @2). He can find his way around the internet like nobody's business :)

Going through this checklist, I see many characteristics being displayed by my little guy. This past year he began to grind his teeth; doesn't do it as much now. He is an aggressive player (VERY athletic) and loves to wrestle. He does this SpiderMan thing which involves pushing other children around. He jumps all the time, watches the same movie over and over (until he can recite the script). He is lovable to the point of irritation as he plants kisses all the time! He has had a favorite blanket since birth and rubs that to soothe himself.....and the list goes on and on.

After going through IEP with his school, he scored a high probability rating for having autism. Without a definitive diagnosis, all I can do at this point is research and prepare for some struggles. He begins a special ed class on Monday, which is wonderful as it is so much smaller than his regular class has been. His kindergarten teacher adored him and spent many hours working one on one with him, but this is unfair to the other students who need her too. With time, new class, and lots of love, my baby will grow to be a great man!