Reply #8: My 7-yr-old niece has Asperger's. [View All]

My sister knew something wasn't right when she was about eight months old. She took her daughter to several doctors, one of whom diagnosed Asperger's. She was able to put my niece in occupational therapy at a very early age and has done all the right things to help her. My sister lives very near a TEACCH facility, so she took advantage of their services from the beginning. She is happy and extremely intelligent with a seventh-grade reading ability and will be in the second grade this fall. Because of what my sister learned throughout the process, we suspected our brother (who turns 40 in August) had Asperger's too. She convinced him to get tested, and he was indeed told he had Asperger's. He always had problems adjusting and seemed kind of odd to outsiders, but he's super-smart. He's getting treatment, and it has done a lot for him. Also, we suspect my dad has it too, but he won't go for testing (he's 75).

I've heard a theory that it may run in families, and in our case, it makes perfect sense now.