Before Cordy’s diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder, I knew it might be a possibility. I had read blogs written by women with autistic children, I had devoured all of WebMD’s behavioral disorders topics. I looked at lists of symptoms and signs and red flag markers and yellow flag markers and warning signs. In the end, I would look at Cordy, scrutinizing each action and wondering if it matched one of those signs, or if I was reading too much into it.
(As a side note, there are huge debates on the topic of self-diagnosis thanks to sites like WebMD, and I could go on and on about the pros and cons of it. But that’s for another time.)
Since Cordy is my first-born, I had no other experience raising a child. I wasn’t really sure what was normal and what was not. The line is such a fine line when it comes to some behavioral issues that you can drive yourself mad trying to decide if it’s atypical or not. And without a visual example of some signs, I can’t be sure what to look for. Arm flapping I can visualize, but what about “restricted patterns of interest”? Maybe she just happens to like a certain toy? Or maybe it’s something else.
I stumbled across something today that I wish was around earlier this year when I was going through my internal turmoil of suspecting something was wrong with Cordy. The website Autism Speaks released its ASD Video Glossary this week. This is a site filled with over 100 video clips of kids who are neurotypical and kids who are on the spectrum, showing you some of the many subtle differences between kids who are showing typical development and those who appear delayed.
While watching some of the videos, I admit I was stunned by what I saw. In one, a child is given a plate, a cup, a spoon, a bottle and a stuffed Big Bird. The child pretends to feed Big Bird a bottle and holds the spoon to feed Big Bird, then pretends to feed himself. The child in the next video, though, is in the same situation, but chooses to examine the plate and bottle closely, banging them on the table and turning them over, completely uninterested in pretend play.
Cordy would have done the same as the second child – I had thought her to simply be a curious child at first. My little engineer, wanting to see how the world works. She wouldn’t have offered me a bite of imaginary food, and poor Big Bird would starve before she’d help him out.
The video glossary is by no means a complete guide to behaviors exhibited by a child on the spectrum. But it is a good start, and provides a decent cross-section of children at all functional levels, and at various ages. Watching the videos makes me glad that I trusted my gut instinct to have Cordy evaluated. She’s high-functioning, but the need for some therapy is still there. And seeing a couple of the video clips, showing a child before and after therapy, I think Cordy has a great chance of overcoming any obstacles in her way.
You do have to register to use the video glossary, but it’s completely free. If you worry your child isn’t developmentally typical, or just want to learn more, this is a very cool resource to check out.
(PS – This may read like an advertisement, but I can assure you no one contacted me to write about it. My step-father called to tell me about an article he saw featuring the site, and after watching several video clips I was so impressed I had to write about it.)
It must be such a huge relief to find a resource where you can identify the traits you see in your own daughter – and know that things are going to all work out okay.
That’s really cool that there’s a resource like that! Also really neat that they show not only typical (er, atypical) behaviors, but the same children after therapy. I’m really glad you are able to see something like that now, so that you have an idea of what you can look forward to. Yay!
Thanks so much for the information. I am concerned about my neice and this is going to be great to pass along to my sister n law. Thank you!
It’s always helpful to find sites such as this one when they are relative to your situation. I don’t blame you for singing the praises of this site.
That is such a helpful website!
I’ve passed it on to three people already.
I wouldn’t have thought that your stepdad would have found something like that. Great resource.
De-lurking to congratulate you on all you are doing for your Cordy. I’m a clinical child psychologist who just happened to stumble upon your blog recently. I just want to remind you to steal some time for yourself in the midst of all you are doing. It really is one of the best things you, and all moms can do to help their kids.
You know, it’s things like this that make me love the Internet, even when a lot of the stuff I find is total and complete crap. There are ways to make the medium helpful and there are ways to make it a hindrance and I’m glad to know that there are organizations out there who are taking full advantage of what technologies there are.
Great find.
Thank you so much for sharing this with everyone. I am forwarding this to all my teacher friends who work with young children. What a great resource to be able to point parents to.
Book marking that sight for future reference.. thanks for the heads up. I sent it to my Sister In Law, she will need it, she has needed it.
On another note, to be able to see it and to see what therapy can do for it, all varying levels of it, that has got to be such a relief for you Mama. Your handling all of this so well, keep on, and anon was right. Take care of you in all of this as well.
Lurker here… Thanks for sharing this site! I am worried about a 28-month-old boy at work (I’m teaching English to small children in Japan), and frankly he makes some of the “at risk” children in the videos look good! He acts like he is deaf most of the time, shows little or no interest in new toys and activities, and most of the time just runs in circles around the classroom, ignoring everyone and everything. He will engage with me usually only at going home time (when he does “high-five”), and when he first arrives (when he leads me around, pointing to all the fans so that I will turn them on for him). He doesn’t speak Japanese at all yet, except for recent attempts to say car and bus.
I don’t think he is hard of hearing, because I have occasionally seen him respond to aural stimuli (like the end-of-class bell, which is not so loud). His mom doesn’t seem worried at all about him, and the staff people where I work say that she doesn’t take him out of the house much, so she probably doesn’t know what typical behavior should be. I am worried about him, but am not really in a position to suggest to his mom that he be evaluated. Cordy is really lucky to have such a great mom!!
I am so glad I read your blog today…
My girlfriend has been riddled with angst about her son…
I am forwarding on you blog to her…
Hmmmm…I’ll check this out. After many many months, we got a diagnosis of ASD. It was tough..but it is getting easier, (some days, that is!)!!