I recently spoke to my 7yo sons new teacher who is the first person besides myself to suspect he may be very slightly autistic (is that the right way to phrase it?). He always has problems adjusting to new classes and it takes 4-6 weeks for him to settle down and then problems will be ongoing through the year. If you met him you would not see a problem as it is so subtle but he is not quite the same as his peers. He is much less mature and socially aware than others, very literal, very impulsive. At the moment this doesn't cause too much of a problem but I am worried that as he progresses through school it may begin to as teachers struggle to understand his quirks, especially into secondary school. Up to press they usually end up loving him to bits. His current teacher thinks it wouldn't be a benefit to ask for a diagnosis but I am wondering if a diagnosis could be a hindrence to him. Is there a stigma attached to autism in the workplace? Would it be necessary for him to "declare" his autism as he ages or could he choose to manage it himself as an adult (assuming he does have it)? Can autism be this subtle or is he just a bit of an oddball, bless him. Sorry if this all sound a bit picky compared to some of your situations but I have to do my best for him.
