mummiez & daddiez magazine May - June Issue 2013

the shape of their head or face rather than their
smile. Children with autism are loving and
affectionate, it is just sometimes it is expressed
slightly differently. My son now 6 has a social
smile and is a happy loving boy, this due I think
to dietary intervention and a lot of therapy over
the past number of years. He has Aspergers
syndrome.
My second son is 2.5 yrs and was excited to play
with the gorgeous 14 month old baby girl that
was visiting him. He smiled back at her and was
intrigued when she threw a ball to him. My son
had speech delay and has been having early
intervention speech therapy. He has signs of
some ASD traits but yet seems so social to me.
He is also on a special diet etc and is doing
really well. He is talking at home, interacting,
smiling at familiar people and generally doing
great. When I saw him interact and play 'catch'
with the gorgeous 14 month old visitor I was so
proud. I felt like calling all my friends to come
see 'look, look'! My second son is being assessed
for PDD.
When neurotypical children play their parents
smile, record it and are so proud. For a family
affected by autism, every smile, every
appropriate social response learned or natural
is gold. The smile or response gives a sense of
achievement or security and helps push aside
the fear of autism at least for that moment.
Today both of my boys smiled and laughed,
played together and with their peers and my 2
year old was very sad that the magical smile 14
month old had to go home for her dinner
(refused point blank to let her borrow his jigsaw
mind!).
Meg Sullivan