The Diagnosis

Hunter’s diagnosis came as a shock. He was our first child. Sure, there were some behaviors that seemed “unusual.”  I come from a long line of calm and conforming  girls, and Jeff had not been raised around other children, so we just assumed this was normal. Having a boy, for me,  was an entirely new ballgame. There were many behaviors that concerned us and our family.

Transitions from home to anywhere were difficult. Taking him anywhere had become a chore.  I will never forget the first day of pre-school orientation. Jeff and I took him to see the classroom and meet the teacher. We walked into the classroom and he suddenly turned into a bull in a china shop. He ran to the play kitchen and began throwing everything and yelling and running around as we just stood there in disbelief. It was humiliating. Then, we had to go sit for an informational meeting.  I felt like all eyes were on us.

The beginning of pre-school was very difficult.  Notes were sent home every day about him being out of control and not listening. I received the dreaded phone call many times, “Mrs. W------, Hunter…." (just fill in the blanks).  Then, one evening driving home from Hunter’s t-ball game, Jeff told me that Hunter’s pre-school director had called him that day, and she thought Hunter might have A-U-T-I-S-M. Yep, that’s right, he spelled it for me.  I was sitting in the car, listening to the hum of the road thinking, “What does that even mean?” All I knew was that I was tired, so tired from this child.  I was pregnant with Grant at the time. I didn’t think I could take one more thing.

Sure,  “why me” crossed my mind (and has many times since), but my “gotta fix this” attitude kicked into overdrive.  I immediately called our pediatrician who got us on the super long list to have him evaluated by specialists. In the meantime, I read books, looked on the Internet, and ultimately compared Hunter with these children I was researching.

The diagnosis finally came to us as possible Aspergers/ADHD, but it was too early to diagnose for sure.  The final diagnosis came at the age of 5, and the suspicions were confirmed.  Then, this “Sassy Aspie Mom” began my journey as a warrior for my little boy.