I remember agonizing over articles I’d read about the language window closing at age seven — they basically said whatever verbal skills you child has at age seven will be as good as it gets. Pure, unadulterated BULL. My 12-year-old with PDD-NOS continues to make language strides month after month, year after year. Every time I think, “OK, this is better than I ever dreamed it would be and I can’t hope for more,” he goes to a new level.

Years ago, my “fantasy” was that he’d one day call me Mom (or anything, just address me directly). Then it was that he’d speak in full sentences with subjects. Then it was that he’d have a reciprocal conversation of more than just a response to my question. Then it was that he’d initiate the talk, rather than only responding. Then it was that he’d start to grasp intangible concepts, and so on, and so on. In every case, my pie-in-the-sky fantasy has become an everyday reality. On a daily basis, the progress seems glacially slow. But in retrospect, it’s been miraculous.

My kid eats almost exclusively casein and gluten-laden foods. We tried eliminating them, but it didn’t help him and nearly killed me with stress and food battles. I am riddled with guilt over his prmarily macaroni and cheese diet, but frankly, I can’t see any way out short of torturous starvation. The fear of a bad taste or smell is so great that he has to stick with known foods that taste the same every single time. Unfortunately, that means processed crap.

If anyone has words of wisdom for THAT particular problem, please enlighten me!

Anyway, thanks again for this incredibly wise post!

I agree, Duchess, about vaccinations. Especially when you hear about children w/out immunizations getting whooping cough and such. If I had a quarter for every time I was asked if I thought shots “caused” Sayer’s autism I’d pay for a nice spa day by now!