@Lady_Megami: Well first of all, I have Asperger's Syndrome. I was labeled in the school system and I turned out fine (I was in regular classes from 8th grade until I graduated). As long as your son has a supportive school environment, good/caring teachers, and the other people around him are understanding. Then things will be good.
The only problems I had in school was bullying and mean teachers (I only had two of them that I can recall right now). :(
The member that talked about the IEP thing is right. Know your rights as a parent and don't let them talk you into anything you think your son will not benefit from.
I remembered when I figured out I was different from the rest. I wondered why and this was back before Asperger's was even a label in the United States. I chose not to tell anyone that I had Asperger's back then, because I was afraid of how people might treat me. Shoot, I'm still afraid of how people might treat me, but at least I can say I have it.
It is a good idea to get him tested for Asperger's Syndrome, I mean it is better then being mislabeled.
I am sure your son is going to be a fantastic person. Kind, caring, and a wonderful person to everyone he meets.

So as for my advice, get him into preschool (either ESE/SPED PreK or Regular PreK. Depends on your son after all) and have a good support network for him.

As for growing up being labeled, I don't know how to explain it. I know I was labeled and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. Just make sure your in a good school district and what not. :)

now my cuz is autistic, and he is the smartest kid around he knows were every one lives and there numbers, he'll rember any he as met once just once...and he as you forever in his mind he knows so much...but he has meltdowns as it is called if things dont go his way...I do the Zoo walk for autism every year...i know there is no cure but it helps people cop with it so i help out any time i can...and i think you Hubby needs to know he really dose you cant deal with all this your self...and who knows maybe he dosent have it at all...if you would like any info...i can give you the website that my aunt is on

It's not much in the way of advice, more of just a bit of hope, I guess, but my best friend has Aspergers Syndrome. He's also the guy marrying my sister. We both have had to sort of coax him a bit over the years, encouraging him to be social, and he's not only learned to deal with people better but he has a lot of fun in the process. All it takes is finding a method to handle it that works for you and your child.

If that's true than my nephew has it too. He hardly ever speaks unless it's necesary. He usually just points and shakes his head. He giggles sometimes if everyone around him is laughing. He just turned two a while back.

ok first of all Syraannabelle I'm 22 i love you sis and second of all kids with autism are very smart. never let it get you down girl all will work out and be awsome. i know one guy who has like hard core autism to the point of having fits every day and right now hes in high school and trying hard.

I agree that you should get him tested, for his sake and your own peace of mind. It's better to know and go through the initial pain than to torture yourself with wondering. Also, if you figure out what's going on with your son, you'll be able to better help him (and get him the help he needs). I wish you the best of luck, and remember that people with autism aren't all that different from everyone else. I have a cousin with Asperger's, and while he's a little quiet, he's also one of the smartest, funniest people I know.

I have seen some doctors and got tested they say I have high functioning Asperger. ever since grade school I love to read and heated math still do. laughs a bit now they says I good with math I don't believe them. yet I can sing in English,Japaneses with out no problem at all. heck I'm all most 24 years old and to be honest I never once learn how to read music notes. other then that it had taken me till I was around the same age as your son. before I even spoke my first word at the age of 2. not go off topic to much here they even said I have ADHD :offtopic: every single doctor that has seen me all ways says that lols.

When I was little I was never tested for anything, but its likely I had Aspergers. I was very anti-social growing up and didn't make friends easily. Sometimes I wanted friends, and sometimes I just didn't care. There's more than one way to end up, but I don't think its something that should be labeled so soon in life... I think sometimes its a self-fulfilling prophecy if you label a child as a certain way and constantly treat them that way... they think they can't be any other way or can't grow out of it. When in reality, in olden times and in other countries, they never went around labeling people as autistic just because they were slow and people ended up just fine. I know a lot of slow people that aren't remotely autistic and a lot of autists that are absolutely brilliant.

I think good parenting can override any tendencies brought on by Aspergers. Or, perhaps, at least shape them in more beneficial ways. Your child isn't doomed to be a social outcast. If they can't form to other's social norms, maybe others will shape to theirs. It's just as likely he could end up being a great leader-figure. (Even though I was anti-social growing up, in middle school I was a club president!) And there other factors to grade-school aged kids and friendship/popularity. The kid with an awesome backyard, a wonderful mother who makes cookies, and having some cool toys is really all that matters. In school, your son will be having to be around some of the same people all the way until he graduates (unless you move that is!) - social skills are important, but there are years to mend things.

All in all, I wouldn't worry about the difficulties now. Applaud good things and encourage empathy for others. Life is life.

I have a bone to pick with the high and low functioning labels. Personally I'm diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome as well.

From your original post though it sounds like you are not yet sure if he is correctly diagnosed.

I don't want to say too much more because I can really go on and on about the subject.

I got told by my father that it was not possible for it to really be a condition that I was exactly stuck with and I would have to grow past it on my own. Not live from within the label that it caused. He was right to a point to push me to grow, but the most frustrating thing was when he would ask for me to say "why" I had done something in school. To me, arguing 'why' I had done it was not a valid point, and that's why I felt like I didn't have any answers for him, which caused me many years of pain because I felt guilty for not knowing the reason I had done something that particular day in school without being told what I should have rather done, and also the fact that the other kids did not get in trouble for what they had done.

Based solely on my experience (but of course, use your best judgement...) I would say do the utmost to defend the child whenever possible. Telling them they've done something wrong is not a bad thing necessarily, but do provide a proper course of action to replace the negative behavior, and then attempt to help him understand why the other persons involved acted the way they did.

Doing this should help him along in a very very positive way, in my opinion.

She never said it was a disease, or that it could be cured. But treatment is an important part in getting a better social life. I know antidepressant helped me, though my sickness isn't chronic. I will be able to get cured, while you have to live with autism - which isn't a bad thing. It's just different.

My advice is to get him tested, and read everything you can about it! My mom read a whole lot of my sickness when I got a diagnosis, and she advised the doctors often since GUA is a relatively new sickness, under 'ADD'. Do not trust doctors blindly, as you are the person who knows your son the best :) So read a lot, so you know what they are talking about - without trying to diagnose your son yourself, of course :P I wish you the best!

(I don't know if 'sickness' is an appropriated concept, but my English is limited to that right now)

No they are not. Autism doesn't make you smart, I know a lot of autism children who are below average in school :)

2 years old and a half is still young and if he does autism it's a bit too early to start talking the fact he can at least say these words is good in my eyes because my aunt kid is 5 or 6 years old and still cannot talk normally, and my baby brother is four year's old and a half and he cannot say these stuff but say a couple of other words and we only knew about it when he was 2 going onto 3 with some recent trips to the doctor and a speech pathologist that only comes once a week so far coming only twice, you should get your baby checked and don't lose hope and sorry for going a little off-topic.

My little brother has Autism..