The year was 2001 and we had already suspected our son Samuel had Autism. It took his first few years of elementary school to gather all the peculiarities, live through seemingly insurmountable challenges, and process his decline in daily function until the clarity of the Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis came into full focus. It was the year “A Beautiful Mind” was released, and the “punchbowl scene” grabbed me as though I could finally explain to the world around me how my son acts and is reacted to. The clinic, where Sam received his diagnosis, is located in San Antonio Texas and dedicates itself entirely to children with autism.
Then called, The Village of Hope, it later became known as The Autism Community Network. Dr. Chris Johnson Plauche was the head of the clinic and also served on the National Board of Pediatrics. I brought to her attention, with great enthusiasm, the opening scene of “A Beautiful Mind” and she and her fellow Doctors around the world had also become intrigued with this film and the accurate portrayal of John Nash and more specifically, Asperger Syndrome. Of course, time would change the medical profession’s description of Asperger Syndrome since the DSM-5 reclassification of a more broad umbrella of ASD, still, there was a portrayal of my son that I could finally share with family, friends and educators. It made an impact on our lives.
The Punchbowl Scene
The punchbowl scene, as I like to call it, introduces the young mathematician John Nash, to his fellow college students. As a Mom to someone with Autism, you feel immediately the characters awkwardness among his peers. HIs hand gestures when trying to think, the looks he receives after he speaks, and the awkwardness of all social interactions displays a “bullseye” to what our family experiences. Russell Crowe was phenomenal portraying Nash, he certainly did his homework on Autism and all the mannerisms such as an awkward gait, conversation and avoidance of people.
This film was released over 20 years ago however, everything is new again to anyone suspecting Autism as I did over 20 years ago. Your child’s journey with Autism begins with noticing the signs that something is ‘different’ with your child, then seeking a medical diagnosis.
Below are some signs to look for and to go over with your doctor should you be seeking an official diagnosis. It is an Informal Childhood Developmental Checklist that someone gave me at the beginning of our journey. It was impactful and seemed to list most everything that was unique about our son. You as the parent have an awareness that Moms with neurotypicals don’t have, we see familiar scenes such as the one I’ve featured from “A Beautiful Mind” that hit a strong chord of familiarity, a resounding gut feeling that may unlock the potential for your child and an opportunity to remove the roadblocks. Know you are not alone in your journey and there are more resources for ASD than ever before. Take one step at a time, beginning with an education toward better understanding Autism, thus, better understanding your child.
Informal Childhood Developmental Checklist
Informal Childhood Developmental Checklist
Social Interactions
Yes No
____ ____ The child prefers to play alone.
____ ____ The child is rarely invited by others to play in the neighborhood or to participate in activities outside of school.
____ ____ The child’s social interactions and responses are immature, not keeping with his/her age or his/her cognitive abilities in other areas.
____ ____ The child has difficulty interacting in group settings
____ ____ The child does not play with other children as expected: he/she may not appear interested in their games, or may not know how to join in.
____ ____ The child appears to be vulnerable to teasing, bullying and being taken advantage of by others.
Behavioral Observations
Yes No
___ ___ The child has difficulty understanding the effect his/her behavior has on others.
___ ____ The child has a significant amount of difficulty taking the perspective of another person, even when it is explained to them.
____ ____ The student has overwhelmingly limited interests in things such as video games, superheroes, cartoon characters.
____ ____ The child’s choices of toys or activities are limited to a select few, without being open to trying new things.
____ ____ The child’s play appears to be scripted or like a reenactment (such as repetitively recreating movies or favorite stores with word and action).
____ ____ The child displays limited understanding of, or involvement in, role-play and spontaneous make-believe play.
____ ____ The student’s play is marked by imitation rather than cooperative interaction, for example parallel play.
____ ____ The child has great difficulty with unexpected changes, even when prepared for the change ahead of time.
Communication
Yes No
____ ____ The child demonstrates severe delays in communication skills or is nonverbal.
_____ _____ The child lacks natural turn-taking skills when conversing with peers.
_____ _____ The child has difficulty following change of topics of conversation in response to the lead of a conversational partner.
_____ _____ The child has difficulty maintaining conversations with others, when the topic is something other than that of their interest.
_____ _____ The child has difficulty using and/or understanding non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language or gestures.
_____ _____ The child tends to interact with adults rather than peers.
_____ _____ The child tends to make the same social mistakes repeatedly, although their skills improve in other developmental areas.
Sensory and Motor Issues
Yes No
____ _____ The child has fine motor difficulties
____ _____ The child has gross motor difficulties
____ _____ The child exhibits over sensitivity to environmental stimuli, such as sound, temperature, pain, reflection or textures.
____ _____ The child exhibits “under-sensitivity” t environmental stimuli such as sound, temperature or pain.
_____ ______ The student appears awkward and uncoordinated in a way different from same-age peers.
_____ ______ The child displays excessively repetitive bodily movements such as rocking, flapping, spinning or self-aggression.
You may download the form below:
Informal Childhood Developmental Checklist
A graduate of Abilene Christian University, Jennifer had a long career in TV Broadcasting. Upon learning her oldest son Sam had a form of Autism called Asperger’s Syndrome, she left her career and became a full-time mother to both of her sons. Jennifer elicited the participation of her family and together they produced several independent programs including a children’s animated series titled Ameriquest Kids, as well as a documentary and book titled, Coping to Excelling: Solutions for School-age Children Diagnosed with High-Functioning Autism or Aspergers Syndrome. She formed the nonprofit Asperger101 to provide on-going free resources related to ASD at Aspergers101.com and has implemented the Texas Driving with Disability Program and continues to grow the statewide initiative today. She and her husband have recently retired to their property in the Texas Hill Country.
