Day two was a lazy Saturday

Noshember Day two - What is it?  

Well, today was what we in this house call a lazy Saturday. With the various fall festivals and other activities our family has had over the last few weeks we decided today was going to be a rare lazy Saturday.  And we accomplished that with gusto.

It looks as if the page had quite a few readers on the post from yesterday and for that I am thankful.  I have no idea where we're going on this journey, but I hope that you can at least say you learned something.

Where's the ugly mug?

The day two camera shot won't show much difference from day one.  There's some scruff coming in...nothing too fast..because that's how I roll.

Brief overview of ASD

When you talk to other people that aren't as educated on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), the most common perception that you face is that of what I would call "original" autism.  That view is of a person who is incapacitated mostly and cannot communicate or communicate very little.  Think of Dustin Hoffman's character from the movie "Rain Man".  In truth, this type of autism takes up only a small part of the entire autism spectrum.  Most of the people with diagnosed autism have what you can call "functional" autism.  At first glance these people will appear to be your average Joe or Jill.  It won't be until interacting with these people will you be able to pick up on differences, sometimes subtle, in the way they interact and communicate.

ASD is a wide range of neurological based developmental disabilities.  Each person on the ASD spectrum has their own symptoms.  There is no quick diagnosis list to throw out there that allows medical professionals to look at someone and immediately "peg" an individual as being on the ASD.  This is what makes it so difficult for someone to get diagnosed.

Right now, the most recent statistics state that about 1 in 80 kids have been diagnosed as being on the Autism spectrum.  As you can see, having a child on the Autism spectrum is much more common than most people realize.

The biggest impairment for those with ASD is the inability to interact well in a social setting.  This can manifest itself in a myriad of ways.

Aspergers (what my son Bailey has) is on the functional side of the ASD spectrum.

Here's a quote from the Mayo clinic website talking about Aspergers.

Asperger's syndrome is a developmental disorder that affects a person's ability to socialize and communicate effectively with others. Children with Asperger's syndrome typically exhibit social awkwardness and an all-absorbing interest in specific topics.

Some resources for you to read up on ASD:

Web MD page on ASD
The Autism Project in Illinois
Mayo Clinic website on Aspergers

I will include more links as I go to provide informational websites that will allow you to read up on ASD.

Tomorrow I will begin a discussion of my family's journey with my son Bailey and the years of frustration leading up to the final diagnosis that changed our lives forever.