Can I stop worrying?
The title of this post is a little misleading. I don’t mean ‘can I stop worrying about everything?’. I’m just talking about one specific issue.
What worried me (and still does worry me a little), is that my daughter might be on the autistic spectrum. I don’t know if asperger’s is definitely heritable but I think I might have got it from my mother so I was concerned I might pass it on. Now, almost nine weeks after giving birth, my little girl is showing every sign of being a very sociable person. She loves making eye contact and having someone to play with and pay attention to her. She also makes a lot of noises as she tries to talk.
Does this mean she’s definitely clear, or can asperger’s develop later?
Right now I’m bursting with pride and feeling pretty confident about her future. Should I still look out for signs of autism, or can I relax about this particular aspect of her life?
Acceptable Face 
I think Asperger’s, partly by definition, will tend to show up with kids later in life, than classical Autism.
That being said, I wouldn’t worry too much either way. You’ll love your daughter just the same, right? Try to focus on enjoying her and loving her for who she is right now, regardless of what happens later.
You shouldn’t specifically look for signs of Autism — but don’t be closed to signs of anything, if that makes sense. There’s always the potential for problems to come up, of all kinds — and if they do, you’ll need to be aware and alert as a parent; and open and receptive to hearing what she has to say, and hearing her thoughts and feelings. If you’re overly worried about one specific subject, you can’t do this as easily.
I’m trying not to worry even though I feel there is a high chance my kids could have OCD or tic disorders. I’m going to take things one step at a time and I’ll love them the same no matter what, so it just doesn’t matter really. We are not our disorders, and neither are our kids.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for your reply – you’re right – I’ll love her regardless. It only worries me because I know how asperger’s can complicate things like work and relationships. I want her to be happy.
I guess I need to just pay attention to her, not worry about it.
Good luck with your children.
Yes, I can understand that. I’ve always had trouble with relationships and making friends, and above all, being assertive with other people. So… yeah. It’s tough. Even though I haven’t been diagnosed with AS. All I can really do is make sure my kids get enough social interaction at a young age that they’re at least given the chance to develop normally… and then see what happens.
🙂