As suspected

We had our long awaited Developmental Pediatrician appointment today.  Over a year we've been waiting to see this person, the "ONE" who could tell us what Griffin was dealing with.

And, its as we suspected.  Griffin has Aspergers (which they now call High Functioning Autism, or HFA, having dropped the Aspergers Syndrome diagnosis with the DSM5 - the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.)

I feel relieved that we finally know.  I feel hopeful that Griffin is going to have a rich life ahead of him full of all the things ANY person deserves. I feel slightly annoyed that we had to wait that long to hear someone tell us something that we already know, but that feeling will pass. 

So many changes and good things have already come out of the therapy that we're already getting. I wish I had known earlier that those therapies were available to us as a family without the diagnosis, but we're getting them now and that's all that matters.  

Griffin is an incredibly smart kid.  He's reading easily at a grade level ahead of his own.  He is funny,  compassionate (when the mood strikes him) and very creative.  He's going to be JUST FINE.  We now have some more options available to us to give him the guiding hand that he needs.

And for me, that's all it really boils down to, having a kid on the high-functioning end of the spectrum - he just needs a guiding hand.  Maybe just a little more than ANY kid, spectrum or no, needs to be parented. Yes, we need to work with him on things that come naturally to other kids - like making friends.  But, at the end of the day, so what? All of our kids need to be taught things to succeed in life.  Griffin is no different.

I'm exited about the future, about the doors that are opening, about the places that Griffin's abilities will take him. 

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...

You're off to Great Places!

Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!”

Dr Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!