Hello,

I almost don't know where to begin... This has been such a roller coaster. I have a little boy who recently turned 5. He has always had food allergies, eczema and has lately started to wheeze. But the greatest worry is his preschool's teacher's concern with how he doesn't engage the other children in the classroom. While he happily plays with his older brother (6) and his younger sister (2.5 yrs.), he has no interest in playing with other children. He will readily talk to adults, but rarely initiates a conversation with another child beyond his siblings.

He also started stimming a year ago - something he had never done before as a toddler. But according to the teacher and the preschool director he doesn't do it at school - he must only stim at home or when he's with his family. His eye contact began to diminish as well as his ability to pay attention. He can't have a conversation with anyone while holding eye contact. He also experiences anxiety with loud noises that never used to bother him. This never was the case when he was a toddler. He was always a sweet easy going toddler. He hit all his milestones and never for a second did I feel he was on the 'spectrum'.

Coincidentally, the onset of this 'quirky' behaviors started after a serious bout with a mega ear infection last winter. It was a super bug that took 5 rounds of antibiotics to clear up. Truthfully, he has never really been the same after that ear infection, but the pediatrician was adament that the antibiotics had nothing to do with it. She referred me to a pediatric neurologist who evaluated my son last year and who said he looked perfectly normal and was totally charmed by him. His take was that the massive amount of antibiotics he took just made him feel horrible and messed up his gut and that's why he started acting more and more peculiar as the doses increased. The preschool director and his teacher last year also assured me that thought he seemed normal and was perhaps just very shy around other children. Whatever behavior changes I was seeing at home did not appear to be happening at school.

Fast forward to this year. His teacher just told us that while he seems ready for kindergarten academically, she is worried about him socially. He still stims at home, but not at school. He still is easily distracted, and anxious.

After doing a google search (which is something I didn't want to do for fear of scaring myself to death), I'm wondering if he has Asperger's. And if so, did the antibiotics exacerbate his symptoms? Is there any credence to the 'leaky gut' theory that I'm suddenly reading about all over the web? Is he full of 'yeast' from last year's (and this year's antibiotics)? Should I ask my ped to prescribe an antifungal, or will she think I'm some weirdo? Should I load him up on probiotics?

I just want my little boy back. I look at home videos from a year and a half ago and I just cry. It's like he's a different child... Full eye contact, no stimming, singing, laughing, playing. I just want someone to help me to help him.