Son amazes me,doing better

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My 5 year old son amazes me,doing better.He is 5 years old and was diagnosed with autism at age 3.It all started when my oldest daughter from a previous relationship touched him on the left arm which he didn't like and did not want to be with other kids.My husband was first to see something was wrong and then it was me.We seen his pediatrician and asked about it.Pediatrician said it maybe autism,out of his hands and sent to a specialist for a second opinion.The tests were done and found out he has autism.This specialist he sees,she is even amazed by his progress.One is my husband and I raising him right.Another is understanding him and him understanding us.He does therapy,a therapist doing animal therapy comes once a week with her therapy dog.He loves it and his social skills are better.The therapy has been better option for him,this therapist works with kids that have autism and disabilities.Did great in school last school year as well and will be in 1st grade this next school year.Overall,my husband and I see him as an energetic normal kid.

It's not rare for this to happen.

I'm glad your kid is doing well.

The best thing is for you to treat him as "normal" as possible. Make sure you provide him with a very strong model for him to follow. Make sure you're there for him whenever he needs support.

Keep in mind that that there might be things which might occur as a result of him growing. Some will be the inevitable result of growing up; others might be caused by his autism.

Don't fall into the trap of letting the diagnosis define him----even if he does some things which are indicative of the diagnosis.

Create for him the same standards as you would a "normal" child. But also make allowances for when you know the behavior might be caused by the autism. However, don't let HIM know that you are making allowances---for this is when kids seek to take advantage of the situation. They will seek to stretch boundaries, test you.

Read up on autism, and watch YouTube videos of parents of kids with autism----especially that of the "high-functioning" variety.

And make sure he doesn't get behind in his schoolwork. Make sure he does his homework every day.

I am happy to hear your son is making great progress! For us, just knowing the root of the issues (ASD) made all the difference.

My one warning: be careful of letting go of assistance too early, even if everything about your child starts to appear "normal." Schools love to "graduate" special needs children, but that is not the great victory they make it sound like, because at that point you lose your ability to deal nimbly with new issues as they crop up. Believe me, new issues will crop up, and you will want your IEP team there to help figure them out. If your child has been correctly diagnosed, the ASD itself will never go away, just the obvious symptoms and appearance of it. That isn't to say you should not be positive about your child's future - you should be positive - but never forget who your unique child really is and what he needs.

My husband and I treat him as a normal kid.Did not happen overnight with his social skills improvement,has been one step at a time