I have been doing a bit of research recently on autism because with three boys we are at far more risk than if we had three girls,
about 4 times more likely to be exact.
Children with autism can have difficulty with;
- social interaction ; not responding to other children, lack of empathy,
- verbal and non verbal communication ; not responding when their name is called, not responding to facial cues,
- repetitive behaviours ; focusing on one thing for a very long time
Obviously Jackson is past the point of concern and doing brilliantly in all of these areas but Pax and Kailin are right at the age where it becomes most apparent.
Statistics show that if you catch it before the age of three you can significantly increase the chances for improvement and overcoming such difficulties.
And so I have been looking into it.
And watching my boys very closely indeed.
And to be honest for a minute there I did have a little bit of concern because the boys are a little behind with their speech (twin boys are notorious for it) and while Pax has made huge leaps forward in the past couple of months Kailin has still been very quiet.
But I am very pleased to say that as I am typing right now, I can here Jackson and Kailin playing and laughing (social interaction) in the lounge room and when Jackson offers Kailin a biscuit, Kailin saying "thank you Jackson" and "more please Jackson" (verbal communication). What a relief!
Where is Pax?
He is sleeping in his bedroom...
Perhaps the key to Kailin talking more is to have more time when he is not overshadowed by his very exuberant brothers.
Perhaps all he needs is to be able to get a word in edge wise!!!
