A baby is born and everyone is excited.  Somehow as time goes along one or more members of the family start feeling that something, maybe, just maybe, something is just not quite right.  This sweet baby is not developing, reacting, and maturing quite like other babies the same age.  Each family travels that journey down their own particular path.  Some wind up and down hills, in and out of tunnels, round and about each and every obstacle that can be found while others take a more direct route ... to where?  Some find their journey ends with a diagnosis of high functioning autism (HFA), pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), nonverbal learning disorder (NLD), central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), semantic pragmatic disorder, hyperlexia, executive processing disorder (EPD), or maybe still another diagnosis. 

This page will attempt to help families, educators, and friends along this journey with some brief descriptions, but mainly links to good resources for clinical information before you get an "official diagnosis" and also some "down-to-earth" information for helping handle those day-to-day issues of living with a special needs child with the characteristics of the above-described disorders.

The first lap on this journey involves "what are the identifying issues which might require seeking a professional diagnosis?"  Tony Attwood is considered one of the leading authorities when discussing Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism.  His website has a wealth of information and his books present even greater in-depth insight into the world of autism.  Take time to explore his website, especially the recent research reports 

Additional resources for other general diagnosis information are:

Now that the parents have a "diagnosis" ... .WHAT NEXT??? Where do they go for support? What happens now?  It depends on where you live and the support systems available in your area as to what really happens at this next step.  For the benefit of those on the Internet who are interested in more than just the Metro-Atlanta area the following links are provided:

By the time a child receives an Aspergers Syndrome or high functioning Autism diagnosis they are usually in school although other forms of Autism may be diagnosed earlier.  Unfortunately, the entire school environment is not very friendly, in general, for these children.  There are exceptions, many times girls with AS tend to find the academic part of the school environment easier to "fit in" than their boy counterparts.  They will both experience many social difficulties which will only increase in complexity as they get older and their classmates mature faster and seem to have insights that the AS child never seems to "get."  A good resource is to go to join the yahoo group IEP_guide. Here are some additional resources to help with those school years challenges:

  Even with an IEP and the best teachers in place, everything does not always go the way we would like for these special children.  What do we do then?  Many times we need to enlist the help of specialists like occupational therapists, speech therapists, behavior therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, educational therapists and more specialists are identified every day.  The following resource list is given to assist you with your own research, but not as any specific recommendation.  Each child is an individual and no medical or professional advice is intended to be provided from this website.

Outside of the school environment, other life-long issues concern parents of special needs children who will be growing up:  employment , independent living skills, and a means to support themselves if they are not able to be gainfully employed are some of the major concerns.  Here are some  websites to explore some options available to special needs individuals and their caretakers at this time.

By the time you have had a chance to review these websites, you will have learned just enough to know how little you really know about your child's future and how much more there is to learn.  On the bright side of things, you are on a journey with your child.  The journey can take many detours and if you take the time to look through the eyes of your child, you will be amazed at the new wonderful sights you will experience.