How Long Since Autism Diagnosis?

My brother has never been diagnosed. But I am sure he has Asperger's Syndrome. He is very high functioning. When you read all the "symptoms" he has more than half. But back when he was younger and they wanted to test him My mother was told it was at least a couple thousand dollars for the test. So they never had it done. He does well in school but lacks a lot of normal social skills. But I think he is doing quite well. I do get worried though about when he has to go out and get a job. He tends to clam up if confronted about things and gets pretty emotional sometimes when he gets scolded. He's about to turn 17 so I guess we will find out soon.

It's been almost 5 years since my oldest son was diagnosed with autism. He's almost 13 now and was diagnosed back when he wasn't quite 7. I did try to get the referral he needed to get a diagnosis done on him when he was 4 years old, but his doctor wouldn't give it to me as she didn't think he was autistic, even though he was exhibiting signs that he was. My (autistic) son did talk, although very little when he was 1. Not too much later he stopped talking and didn't say anything at all. He was non-verbal for years and didn't start talking again until he was about 10 years old. Though it was and still is slow to go. He's recently started putting a few words together, but it can be hard to understand what it is he is saying unless it is simple words. Eye contact has never been great. He will meet with his eyes momentarily, then look away. He may do this over and over a few times before doesn't want to look anymore. Tantrums, meltdowns, or whatever you want to call them have gone done significantly, however, he still has his moments. So, it makes it darn near impossible to predict when they are going to come on. But for the most part he is a happy and loving kid. And I for one am very grateful for that.

Our son became autistic at age 12, soon after getting the MMR shot containing mercury as a preservative. We firmly believe that mercury poisoning is the cause of autism. Gluten free casen free diets, soaking feet in epsom salts, chelation, supplements, have helped out son.

My niece was diagnosed at around age 2 back in 1988. She was a happy baby but symptoms started after the vaccines were given. She then started regressing inward and has never recovered. She also had reflux which kept her from keeping food down for which she had to have surgery very young. She is 23 now, lives in a supervised group home and doesn't really speak more than a word or 2. You have an advantage as so much more is known about it now and getting help early is key I think. I agree with the one commenter about Jenny McCarthy's book. She has seen great progress with her son and is would certainly be worth a try looking into it as diet can play such a large part in our health. I think if my niece's diet had been altered at an early age there may have been a better outcome. I wish you all the best with your son.

My son was diagnosed shortly before he turned 4. He is 9 now. He still has problems with expressive language and with understanding things that he reads. He's awkward socially, but not obviously so. He's a year behind his twin sister in school. All in all, I'm pretty pleased with his progress.

My son was diagnosed 13 years ago. He is 17 now and like your son was not speaking. I am happy to say after years of speech therapy, medication, OT, social skills classes and my everyday care and committment he is a happy 17 year old young man. He is an honor student at his high school and has a 4.3 GPA. He does have friends and even has a girlfriend. He no longer has sensory issues and a lot of his food upsets have gone away. My son started to emerge out of autism at age 5. Through the years he has learned many coping strategies that have helped him function in the world. I am in awe of him and am very honored to be his mother. Our younger years were tough but as he aged things improved every year. It is a hard long road but it is worth it. Hang in there! Your success so far sounds extrordinary!

My son just turned 4 years old & was diagnosed with Autism at 27 months. Our son has been getting help since his diagnoses & yes we have seen lots of improvments with him, but he still needs help & has a long way to go as well. I'm happy with my sons progression... sure at times I ask myself why can't this happen in just one week, but the truth is, it's a life long battle. So if I was you, I wouldn't worry about how long it's taking other kids to show progress because every child is different. Some show progress the first year, some show progress several years later. It's different with each kid. All I can say is, just keep working hard with your son & make sure you praise him everyday for all his hard work. :)

I have a nephew who was diagnoised at the age of 4 with autism. He is now 15 years old and really can't do without supervision. He goes to a special school and has improved but not at the rate I'm sure the parents would like. Your son is still very young if I were you I would check out Jenny McCarthy's Autism Organization (Generation Rescue) online. You will find out alot of useful information. She has helped her son where I believe he is austism free. I believe its by diet and exercise. I hope this helps you and God Bless your son that he recovers from this sooner then later.