My Extraordinary Boy

extraordinary
adjective
1. remarkable, special, wonderful, outstanding, rare, amazing, fantastic, astonishing, marvellous, exceptional, notable, serious (informal), phenomenal, singular, wondrous (archaic or literary), out of this world (informal), extremely good
2. unusual, surprising, odd, strange, unique, remarkable, bizarre, curious, weird, unprecedented, peculiar, unfamiliar, uncommon, unheard-of, unwonted

I think it is interesting that such a word could have so many different meanings.

I am a mother of an extraordinary boy.
He can name every sign we pass when we head South from our home without looking, he knew his letters and sounds by the time he was 2 1/2 years old, he can tell you which direction (north, south, east, and west) most of his relatives live from our house, he recognizes roman numerals, he can tell time on various types of clocks, he can spell and read a lot of words, he can count over 100, and he looks for things he likes about people. He is only 5 years old.
He also has a hard time looking in your eyes when you talk to him, struggles to socialize with children his own age, he gets overwhelmed when he is in social situations, he uses a very loud voice, has a hard time communicating effectively sometimes and struggles writing correctly. He has been diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified. (PDD-NOS). It is a disease on the Autism Spectrum. He is very high-functioning and if you didn't know his diagnosis, you might think that he is just a little strange, but very cute child.
Most days, we accept this challenge as part of our life and go forward. However, some days, it is really hard for me to watch him and other children and see what a difference there is. My heart aches for my little boy who seems so out of touch to the world. I seek for guidance and help, but there is so much information out there, I don't know what way to go. I worry about what will happen when he begins Kindergarten in just a few weeks. Will the children make fun of him and tease him, or will they accept him and be friends with him? How will he deal with being in a socially charged environment for such a long time each day? Will he be able to keep up on his school work? How can I make sure that he doesn't get lost in the shuffle? What can I do to help he be successful in school and life? Sometimes it is just so overwhelming!
Yet I look back and see how far we have come in the six months since he was diagnosed and I realize that we have been so blessed and guided. I have no doubt that Heavenly Father is very aware of my son's needs. I know that Heavenly Father will continue to guide us and to help him succeed.
I read on another blog about a lady who has a child with PDD-NOS. (I wish I could find it again) In one of the comments, someone told her:
"Don't forget, God isn't done with your son yet."
I just love that quote. When I feel so overwhelmed and mourn the loss that I feel for my child, I just remember that "God isn't done with him yet." and that God isn't done with me either. Each day I learn so much from my sweet, tender hearted little boy. He sees the good in others and helps me remember to be good too. He is forgiving and always willing to say "sorry" even if it isn't his fault. He strives to please his parents. He is kind and loving to all around him. And he always makes people smile. I try really hard to follow his example.