Territorial Bloggings

I don’t recall if I’ve ever mentioned this before (and I’m too lazy to search the archives), but my son (Matthew, just about 7 y/o) was/is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) — on the mild end, but on it nonetheless. I’m not going to go into a huge long narrative about how we’ve gotten to the point where he started in “regular” 1st Grade this school year, but suffice it to say that it’s been an interesting process over these 6-7 years since we first realized something might be up with the little dude. Fortunately (and, as is always the case, I would confess) God has blessed us beyond any/all expectations, as Matthew rocks — he’s just the coolest little guy (as even non-biased folks have said! :cool:)

One of the reasons that I never truly worried all that much about Matthew & his ASD diagnosis is that I know the personality “pool” from which he was produced. IOW, he is my son, as I am my father’s son (right big sis?). And the Piper men are decidedly introverted. Extremely introverted. If the diagnostic sensitivities were so highly tuned 30-35 years ago, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if I had been diagnosed as being on that spectrum! My mother would’ve beaten someone senseless, but that’s beside the point… I was never truly worried about Matthew, even though he didn’t start talking until he was 4, because he never exhibited the more extreme autistic behaviors. He would engage you, look at you, & interact with you. He just had no trouble at all tuning you out & occupying himself — something that I understood completely, because I was/am exactly the same way. Does my son have challenges? Sure. We all do. Are his a little different than what is “normal”? Yeah. But, considering just how screwed up some kids are because of the sins of their parents (e.g., substance abuse prior to or during pregnancy, etc…), I will NEVER complain about my little guy. In many was I wish I were more like him, and he will always be a source of sinful pride (as will his sister!).

Getting this back to me (and why shouldn’t I? It is, after all my blog… :razz:), here’s a pretty interesting variant on all the personality tests that are floating around out there: The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) Test.

Psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen and his colleagues at Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre have created the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, or AQ, as a measure of the extent of autistic traits in adults. In the first major trial using the test, the average score in the control group was 16.4. Eighty percent of those diagnosed with autism or a related disorder scored 32 or higher. The test is not a means for making a diagnosis, however, and many who score above 32 and even meet the diagnostic criteria for mild autism or Asperger’s report no difficulty functioning in their everyday lives.

I scored a 32…

-ghp