Living with Asperger's Syndrome

We finally got my 10-year-old diagnosed last year at 9 years old. He is a very loving, bright, extremely intelligent boy… but was having a hard time socially at school, and getting very depressed. When he was in 2nd and 3rd grade he said things like “I wish I was never born” and “why did you have to have me” and “I hate my life.” He was very depressed, mostly because of his difficulty socially… and because he was often being confronted on some behavior or another. His coordination was not good, and he didn’t learn to ride a bike until he was 8-1/2 years old. Things that came easily for other kids were really hard for him. He had lots of issues with coordination and had extremely bad handwriting. I think his self-esteem was greatly affected.

I read on the internet something from Drake Institute that actually gave me hope. I filled out their on-line questionaire and was called by a doctor that day. He listened patiently and asked me many questions. He runs the Drake Institute. He helped me to see that all my son’s behaviors were not because he was a “bad kid,” but because he had something going on neurologically in his brain. We had a “brainmapping” done there, which showed the areas in my son’s brain that were not functioning properly… (This is a very elementary, basic way of explaining it.) Anyway, we received some treatment there called biofeedback or neurofeedback, and saw very good results. My son went from having MAJOR meltdowns almost every night, to almost NONE. He deals with homework much better, and seemed less depressed.

This year has been even better. My son wanted to play football, which is supposed to not really be a good idea for Asperger kids, because of their difficulty with coordination and social interaction… but he really wanted to so we let him. He was told that he had to lose some weight (about 13 pounds) in order to play on the team… they adhere to strict weight and height requirements for safety… so we proceeded to cut out ALL sugar from his diet and almost all white flour. We substituted sugar-free popsicles and sugar-free jello for snacks. We gave him only whole wheat bread, if any. He has now lost 13 pounds… but the best part is that he is like a different kid. He is very enjoyable to be around, and even gets along with his sister better. He is conscientious with his homework, and his mood is SOOO much better. I think it was a variety of things that helped him, and it is hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that made the difference. I think Drake made a big difference, as well as changing his diet and getting him physically active.

This had been a very difficult road for us, but I think my son has a bright future ahead. I am so proud of him. He has done so well at football, (not that he is one of the best players… but because he set goals for himself and achieved them.) He has been very motivated to lose weight, and is doing well at school too.

I wish you all the best. I understand what an incredibly difficult and confusing road this can be.

Tammie