The Officially Unofficial Verdict on Daniel

So, we were given a Gilliam Asperger's Disorder Scale to fill out and Daniel is over all in the 75th percentile. Which means he has Asperger's--it's a type of Autism. Daniel most likely also has Sensory Processing Disorders which typically accompany autism and other similar disorders.

We are at the beginning of the learning process and will be getting medical referrals on the 13th of this month. We are glad to have a name for what Daniel suffers and struggles with, and also the cause of many of his strengths. We hope to continue special ed preschool & speech therapy, as well as specialized medical care, and occupational therapy.

I truly appreciate your love, friendship, prayers and support in our behalf and would be more than happy to attempt to answer any questions you may have. We are doing the best we can, for now; that is, until we know more and have more resources and tools to empower us in to empower Daniel. The great news is, Daniel is young and we love him and will do everything we possibly can to help him learn how to cope with his disorder.

Diagnosis

Well, we've found out that Daniel is mildly autistic and may even have Asperger's. He definitely has a PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder) which affects him socially mostly and verbally as well. We will know more specifics once some more diagnostic tests are administered. So, we'll let you know more when we know more.

The blessings are that we live in a great school district with Kids on the Move to help us. We have great family and friends to help support us. We have medical insurance for both boys (before the diagnosis was made). And, having a "label" will enable us to facilitate an environment of learning & growth experiences. We will also soon be learning American Sign Language as a family. We'll be getting referrals for a more tailored treatment and Daniel will still get to be in preschool, which he loves.

Challenges (and blessings)....here we come!