B R's comments

Coping with an adult with Asperger's (3) - Blog Entry

11 Nov 2008 11:51 AM

I've been beating my head against the wall for 10 years with my husband, trying to get help, we've been in numerous counseling sessions and he's been through the mill, always trying but never succeeding. Two years ago, our daughter was diagnosed with a severe form of OCD, manifesting in scrupulosity, and has done well with medicines and therapies. Another one of our children, our youngest and only boy, began life demonstrating extreme giftedness..fascinated with letters and knowing the alphabet forward and backwards at age one; facscinated with anything mechanical especially trains by age two. Likes to put things in order, is extremely, extremely sensitive and somewhat "rude" but not really, just doesn't 'get' social things- however with extreme patience and love on our part has been very successful and is now in first grade and doing great...although bored with curriculum, is socially enjoying things (although still has no real friends :( ) All through this journey, my poor husband has been willing to endure scrutiny and suggestions of ADD, OCD (of which he seems to have some) and most recently, been diagnosed as bipolar although now we find he has alpha-1 antirypsin and emphysema (never smoked, never been exposed to smoke) so we think the bipolar-stuff is really more related to lack of oxygen and feeling horrible. He's just 40 and been through the works, I was ready to leave him several times and living with him can be frustrating and at times it's very lonely but I know he loves me and cannot help HOW he is... I just am thankful I have stuck with him and want to try to give my children the best opportunity to develop as normally as possible. Trying to get a diagnosis for our son is ridiculous, no one wants to see what is obvious..his teacher says he's doing "ok" so doesn't think we should worry...but I've put 6 hard years of work into getting him to "ok" and don't want him to end up frustrated like his Dad later in life.