Dear Noah:

It is funny. I am sitting here watching you right now spin the wheels of your new Giant Monster truck that is sitting upside down. This suddenly reminds me of how OFTEN you have done things like that over the years. I mean this supposedly is a "classic" sign of autism but I guess one we overlooked and wrote off for whatever reason. When you used to have a stroller we used to have to bring it out into the living room for you and turn it upside down where you would then sit for HOURS spinning those wheels and watching them spin around. Now the difference for you is that you always seemed to know what a toy was supposed to be used for and the proper way to play with a truck as a truck for example. You knew how to move it along and make truck sounds etc. You did not just sit and spin their wheels. However...turning things upside down so you COULD spin the wheels of many different things you would do periodically and sometimes during the playing with trucks or cars. Weird how we missed that connection all that time or we were not aware of it before perhaps. I do know you have always loved PINWHEELS and CEILING FANS and anything like that that spins around. You would lie in bed with your pinwheel in hand watching our ceiling fan over our bed spin around and you would also spin your pinwheel at the same time. Again we never really made that connection either which again are "classic" signs of autism? HUM....all seems strange to me now looking back I guess. I guess we have become more aware of the signs and symptoms of autism and people on the spectrum over time. SO many of these things I have even failed to let your pediatrician know about...which in turn could have probably been used to diagnose you sooner. Not that that really changes anything in the end but you probably could have been better UNDERSTOOD in school sooner and by others sooner and could have started some therapies sooner.

Anyway....I just had to sign back in to write this all down before I forgot it.

I love you Noah!

Mommy