Tempered Improvements

“Matt continues to kick autism’s ass.”

How many times have I said that? Seriously. If I had a dollar…

In the three years since my son Matt was diagnosed with autism, I can only say so many times just how amazed I am at how far he’s come. Through a lot of hard work by a lot of dedicated doctors, teachers, therapists, family members, social workers, etc. – his progress continues to be remarkable.

There have been countless sessions of speech, occupational, and behavioral therapy. We’ve tried diet changes, horseback riding, chiropractic care, and speech-assisted software.

In working with his school, we’ve set developmental and educational goals that were aggressive and challenging.

Yet interestingly enough, some of the biggest leaps we’ve seen young Matt take with his verbal and social development have been a result of being sick. More specifically, fever.

Immediately following a bout with the flu, a cold, or perhaps just some bug he caught at school – Matt’s eye contact became more noticeable, his assertiveness increased, and/or his vocabulary jumped.

And believe it or not, there’s some actual science behind this as well; on how being sick and having a higher temperature can affect certain areas of the brain in autistic children. Trust me. Google “autism and high fever” and see for yourself.

Some parents, unfortunately, have said that the improvements they’ve seen with their autistic children occur only while their children are sick; often regressing back to the status quo upon getting better.

For Monica and I, sickness seems to be a springboard to increased skills with Matt that help create a new “norm” upon which to build upon.

For example, Matt missed most of the last two weeks of school in December due to flu-like symptoms (namely high fever and vomiting) yet in the two weeks since, we’ve noticed…

• He rambled his first 10+ word sentence.
• He’s initiated conversations on a level not seen before.
• Simple turn taking in a back-and-forth dialogue has increased.
• He’s improved on his ability to follow multi-step instructions.
• My wife sent me this text-message: “While I was in the shower my phone rang. Matt answered the phone by himself and told the person mommy’s in the shower and she can’t talk.” (His words were clear and understandable.)
• His appetite has increased.
• And finally, he’s becoming a bit argumentative. Meaning: not only will he tell you NO (or YES) on something, he’ll proceed to explain in no uncertain certain terms why… (admittedly I’m not sure how happy I am on that one.)

The advances in both his speech and assertiveness have not only been noticeable but immediate.

I truly enjoy it when friends and relatives who haven’t seen Matt in, say, 3-to-5 months (or more) comment on his advancements. At a recent Christmas party, we couldn’t have been more proud with how he interacted with a lot of people throughout a rather extended period of time.

Personally, I can’t wait to see what his teachers and aide say after not seeing him in just the past four weeks!

Of course his struggles continue and he’ll never be cured of autism – there is no cure. But you know what? He’s happy. He’s happier than he’s ever been.

And how do I know? Because he tells me. It’s that simple, really. He tells me.