My Son's Journey

Paper Summary:

This is a personal account of a mother whose son, Chase, has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. She provides a full description of the symptoms he experienced but finishes her account on a positive note, stating that he is capable of overcoming his difficulties, achieving great things, and leading a full, successful and rewarding life. He will not be limited by his diagnosis, and nothing will hold him back from achieving his dreams.

From the Paper:

"I can very distinctly remember one occasion when Chase had just turned two and my mom called me at work very excited. "Amy, she exclaimed, "Chase can read!" I knew that he could not read, and I thought that she was just being a proud Grandma. I also knew that he had a knack for memorization, especially if it was something that interested him. When I went to pick him up that afternoon she showed me what she meant. She had ten Disney video tapes, all black. She asked him to name the movies. He knew just by looking at the tapes which movie was which. I was amazed, but I knew that he could not read. We later figured out that he had memorized the fonts of each of the movies, telling them apart.
A few weeks later a received another phone call from my mom. "Amy," she said, "I think that we need to talk." She went on to explain to me that she felt that Chase might have some form of autism. This was coming from the same person who just a few weeks before had called to tell me that she thought that my son was gifted. My world began to swirl with worry as I listened to her reasons why she felt that he might be autistic. She said that he would avoid eye contact with her, preferred to play with the same toys, and liked everything to be the same every day. She went on to say that he seemed to lack imagination and didn't really play pretend like the other kids did. She had an in-home daycare that she had run for the past twenty five years, so she had many children in which to draw a comparison. He was also very sensitive to noise and was scared of loud noises, saying that they hurt his ears. These symptoms of similar to the symptoms described by the Autistic Information Center, who described the symptoms of Autism in children as "The most common traits include inability to socialize with others; lack of communication, including absent or delayed talking; inability to pick up on social cues like body language; and unusual sensitivity to sounds, light, or changes in routine" (Abbott). I wasn't sure what I should do. I was angry at her for suggesting that there might be something wrong with my son, but at the same time, I knew that there was some truth behind what she was saying."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Abbott, RL. "Autism Information Center." Choice 1 Aug. 2007: 2136. Platinum Full Text Periodicals. ProQuest. Everett Community Coll. LMC, WA. 27 Apr 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>
• "Autism comes in many forms." Philadelphia Tribune [Philadelphia, Pa.] 7 Oct. 2007: 8- 10. Ethnic News Watch (ENW). ProQuest. Everett Community Coll. LMC, WA. 18 Apr. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>
• Ervin, Dwayne. "Autism Awareness." Chicago Citizen [Chicago, Ill.] 2 Apr. 2008: 3. Ethnic News Watch (ENW). ProQuest. Everett Community Coll. LMC, WA. 28 Apr. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>
• Garman, Erika. "In Loudoun Group, Mothers Help Mothers Understand Autism." The Washington Post [Washington, D.C.] 6 Apr. 2008: T3. National Newspapers Core. ProQuest. Everett Community Coll. LMC, WA. 24 Apr. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>
• Kirby, Barbara. "What is Asperger Syndrome?" O.A.S.I.S. 2005. 24 Apr. 2008. <http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/aswhatisit.html>

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