Daniel

[gwasi]

My son is highly intelligent. At 4½ he has amazing abilities with numbers, ie. can already count way over 1000 & can do maths in his head. He can look at a digital clock & say "it's 17 minutes to 8:00". He also has a gift in remembering dates. He often says to me, for example, that day 31 December 2006 was a sad day because xyz happened or he wants to go back to the place we went to on day number 16. He told me the other day that he'll be big in 2017 because he'll be 15. He's also started reading without any formal teaching. However, we need to be very direct in our meanings when talking to him because he doesn't "get" things like figurative speech, teasing or sarcasm. He's a very interesting person & every day with him is an education because it's like living with a mini Einstein. :haha: He has an amazing mind.

The behavioral problems are usually down to sensory overload because people with autism often see/hear/smell/taste/feel things more intensely than neurotypical people. This is why D has a big problem with food & things like walking barefoot on grass.

Thank you all for your support & kindness. It does help us. mitten:

Hi V - children of D's age don't understand sarcasm and get upset as they think you are making fun of them. The same with figurative speech and teasing. Your son has the best help in the world - his parents. He's intellengent for his age and that should be nurtured. Who wants to walk barefoot on grass when its damp or dogs and other animals have been on it. He might think its not clean. Just remember - what is the meaning of 'normal'? To give a child (or adult) a label because they do not conform with societies version of normal has to be dealt with very sensitively and both you and J are sensible.

Good luck with all that lies ahead.