Have you ever thought that if you were a child now, you would surely have been diagnosed with some kind of disorder?

Yes. To every word you wrote. 

I know adults who might have been spared other difficulties (e.g., depression, addiction) had they had intervention when they were young. 

Heck yes!  

Lol! 

Glad your son had a supportive teacher. They truly make such a difference in the lives of our children. 

Some children genuinely need such meds to be able to not only function, but to feel comfortable in their own skin. I believe that too often they're prescribed for the convenience of adults, and not because it's what is best for the child. 

Truth! 

I didn't talk until I was 4 and had so many fears and phobias.  Back then, they only had one or two diagnosis for kids that weren't developing like others.  Mental retardation is what was feared.  I was tested and to my parents relief, I was highly intelligent.  But I can tell you that my anxiety and shyness really hurt me through my early years.  I had zero tolerance to light and loud noises.  Still do on some level.  My son is autistic.  I knew nothing about it until he got diagnosed.  It made me realize a lot about the quirky things with some of my other family and myself.

It took me a long time to overcome so much.  I'm still working on things.  But now I understand so much more.  I only wish people would stop assuming that we blindly diagnose kids today.  I think a lot of them are lucky to have intervention.  

Yes many kids do need help. And they should get it... whatever medical and physical help they need. I do think the drugs should be absolute last resort. 
My MIL used to work with autistic children so I know it is a real disease...so please don't misunderstand my post.

But sadly there are doctors who do diagnose blindly. There is a doctor in my town, that everyone knows if you want to get ADHD meds for your kid...he is who you go to. He gives good doctors a bad name. The parents who I have seen use the drugs as a way to not have to be a parent and correct their child.  I cannot count the times I have seen as child begin to act up and instead of correcting the child...the parents says "It is time for your medicine." It just makes me mad.

Completely agree with you!  My son got that darn ADHD diagnoses and meds at age 11.  It was the beginning of our h*ll with him.  It took years to get the right diagnosis.  Aspbergers is just part of it.  So many kids get addicted to these meds too and it can cause life long problems.  Believe me, there isn't enough proper screening.  This is why I am hoping we find middle ground between the time I was growing up and vulnerable kids weren't being helped to where we are today; over diagnosed and prescribed.  

It would be great if they could get it right.
Meds on kids just so scary, we don't know what kind of effects it will have. I just think there should be other ways than just give them a pill.

I know someone who was given a med for Fibromaylagia and it messed with their thought process---caused some violent thoughts. And I remember reading on the paperwork saying they give this to kids for ADHD and other things. No wonder, we are so messed up.

I am beginning to believe an awful lot of people are damaged by too many medications or the use of the wrong ones.  This is another chapter with some of my relatives and it's heartbreaking.  

I feel very lucky myself to have gotten what I needed to lead a good and productive life.  

Our youngest daughter was diagnosed with ADHD when she was 11 or 12. She was put on meds right away. One of her teachers had said our daughter had no control. They said she would be on meds forever. After a month of being on meds we took her off and never tried more medication. She was extremely active, but all the kids in our neighborhood were also. I used lavender oil on her bedding to help her sleep. The medication the doctors put her on made her lose weight (she was already small) get migranies and get sick to her stomach. Today she is 32, has a great job she loves and is a wonderful mother and daughter. All done WITHOUT meds for adhd. This post was edited by SA (SuperA) at March 30, 2018 6:58 PM MDT

Glad you found something that worked.

All natural, no meds. 

Our grandson X who is autistic also has zerp tolerance to light and loud noises. He alo is highly intelligent. Although he is in 2nd grde he is able to do 4th grade work. He started reading at age 4. 

Sadly, what they told my parents was that I was intelligent, but I was not talking because I was willful.  This also shape how my mother viewed me.  I didn't understand her anger back then.  This is how I know for sure how wrong they were back then.  Now we recognize autism at young ages and these kids can and do flourish.  It really depends on the severity.  If I had it, I was high functioning enough to get through it on my own.  But that doesn't mean there wasn't a lot of needless suffering trying to make sense of a world that scared the heck out of me.  I know it was more than just anxiety.  My earliest memories were being frightened of loud and bright things.  I was super sensitive to anything that touched my skin too.  I couldn't stand any fabric unless it was super soft.  I couldn't tolerate anything out of place.  So sad if you had parents with no understanding of it either.  More my mom than my dad since he had a lot of the same "sensitivities".   This post was edited by PeaPod is just popping by at March 30, 2018 6:59 PM MDT

There's so much pressure on humans to be "normal". Without a doubt, this idea essentially begins at birth. Think about when we took our children to their well-child appointments, how we were asked if they were rolling over, crawling, laughing, etc. While we certainly rely on medical professionals (and later on, educators) to identify legitimate problems and deficiencies, I believe that most of these professionals are overly preoccupied with what is "normal", and we, as parents, then become overly preoccupied with this notion, too. 

It is a bit of a double-edged sword. It's completely valid that early identification and intervention of certain problems can make all the difference. At the same time, we really need to stop thinking in terms of "normal" and instead think about being functional. We're all different, some of us more than others. 

I believe that the very worst thing for children (and adults) who have disorders like Asperger's/Autism Spectrum is that they are made to feel that they are abnormal. In my experience, that is far more damaging and difficult to cope with than any of the actual sensory, communication and thinking issues that they struggle with. 

I can completely empathize with your sensitivity to loud noises. Do you ever look forward to old age, thinking that perhaps your hearing will start to go bad and things will just sound like they do to everyone else?? I do! :)

I suppose I have a few thoughts on the matter in regards to myself.  While I was never given a diagnosis and put on medication, I grew up hearing how "difficult" I was.  My mother was not so subtle in those days either.  Think about it.  A doctor tells her that her non talking child is only not talking because they are willful, not retarded.  Trust me...my mother was not a happy woman.  She left the family by the time I was 13 and I carried that for years afterwards.  

I want to see a happy middle.  Lets embrace the kids that don't follow the norm, whatever that may be.  But at the same time, if they are truly unhappy, struggling socially, have terrible anxiety....we should intervene.  Parts of my childhood were a living h*ll that I wish on no one and I grew up in a "nice"  middle class family.  I cannot imagine the h*ll of children growing up with parents that had NO patience.  

There's just too much pressure on people to conform to the idea of "normal". There are kids like you, who are a "problem" because they don't say enough, and on the other end, there are kids who are a problem because they talk too much, so they're ADHD or something. 

I'm glad your mother advocated for you, and hope you've found happiness in your life. Having compassion for others and being able to find happiness, that's truly all that matters.