My son has been diagnosed with ADHD but the psychologist is now thinking that the underlying problem is really Asperger's. He exhibits all the classic signs of this disorder.

Anyone dealing with this? I would love to hear other's experience and how your kids are doing.

My son is in mainstream private preschool right now and we are sending him to kinder at the same school. He is fine congnitively, in fact, rather advanced for his age. However, his social skills...well he doesn't really have any. He has no friends. When I asked my other son who he thinks Brian would like to invite to their birthday party he said "Brian doesn't have any friends at school - he doesn't talk to anyone".

He is on meds for adhd which definitely help and we do take him to a psychologist 1x month right now. He also gets speech therapy through the school district and I am going to try to get him some OT through the school district.

It would just be nice to be able to chat with someone who is dealing with similar issues as I know no one who has a child with aspergers.

Thanks!

http://www.brianandcharlie.com/blog
^Alexandra^, Brian, Charlie 07/28/2003
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Hi Larine,

I have 2 children on the autistic spectrum. My 7 yr old is more the classic autism who is just most of the time in his own world but my 8 yr old sounds much more like your son. He was diagnosed PDD. He is in a typical second grade class with an aide. If you would like to tlak I can give you my number or you can e mail me if you like. My e mail is jmomee99@aol.com

Julie

HI.

My son is 41/2 and we have been struggling to get a proper diagnoses since he was 18 months old. Currently he attends the developmental preschool in our county and they have deemed him developmentally delayed. Mainly because they don't know what to label him. We have had him tested for Autism twice and both times they said he doesn't show enough "signs". They say he can talk and make contact so he doesn't have autism..... well, what about Asberger's? They have no idea. So, with that, I decided to seek counseling on my own and hope that after he completes 8 weeks of play therapy, someone can tell me somethng. It's been a long, hard road. I am curious about the signs you saw in your son. Can you elaborate?

Thanks,
Jenn mom to Jake 14, Taylor 10
Surviving quads Aubrey, Broc, Cain and ~babyd~ 41/2

Jenn,

My son was diagnosed by a psychologist that specializes in children.

The first thing we diagnosed is that he is ADHD (pretty bad) and has a lot of anxiety. We did a trial of medication for the ADHD and that helped significantly.

My son was evaluated through the local school district and was not determined to have Autism but did show delays in speech, fine motor skills and relating with other kids.

What we noticed specifically about my son is that intellectually he is very advanced however socially he is delayed. He does not know how to make friends and is mostly by himself - though it appears that he wants to be included. He does other things like getting fixated on a topic or item and talks about it constantly. He gets very anxious if he does not know what is coming next (like the plan for the day). We recently went away and I knew the travel day would be very stressfull. I started telling him step by step what the day was going to be like. I'll pick you up at school, then we'll pick up grandma, then we'll eat dinner, then sissy will drive us to the airport and we'll give our bags to someone at the curb,etc. He responds really well to stuff like that.

I could go on and on about his uniqueness. You are more than welcome to call me and we can chat. We've always know something was a little different about him just not sure what it was. He showed some things as a baby that we thought were autism-like but then he outgrew them - odd stuff like that.

I also have a list of books that the psychologist recommended to me. I don't have the sheet in front of me but will pass it along as soon as I get a chance.

The main thing to remember is that Aspergers can be very, very functional. The children need to be taught how to socialize, etc. but if you start early they can be helped.

I'll PM you with my phone # and e-mail.

http://www.brianandcharlie.com/blog
^Alexandra^, Brian, Charlie 07/28/2003
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Your son sounds a LOT like my daughter. She is 3 and while intellectually very bright, has great difficulty in social situations. I have always felt that she processed things differently and she has mean tantrums when things aren't familiar to her. New situations, a new order to our routine, new faces, etc. put her over the edge. I am sure she has SPD (sensory processing disorder), but I am concerned there is another underlying issue with her. So, we are having her evaluated at a top medical university in our area for the autistic specturm in August. She may be PDD, or she may have Aspergers.

Since she has gotten older, communication has helped some of her overstimulation problems. Also, as you mentioned, informing her of our daily schedule really helps so she knows ahead of time what to expect. It takes her a LONG time to warm up to people and social situations, and she shys away from all group activities.

I try to anticipate her tantrums ahead of time and try to avoid situations that will overstimulate her, but sometimes it just can't be avoided. Feel free to PM me anytime!

Nik
GBG triplets born 4/2/05
30w5d
www.thebestthingscomein3.blogspot.com

My son has SPD issues and has had since birth. He didn't touch play doh until he was almost 3 years old. He wouldn't and still won't fingerpaint - he has to use a brush. He is a terribly picky eater and won't touch new textures, etc. All are part of the Aspergers profile. He also has issues with some fine motor skills in particular writing - again part of the aspergers profile.

I would definitely suggest getting a book on Aspergers and reading more about it. Again...I'll post the list of books I was given as soon as I can get my hands on it (which means I don't know where I put it and I'll try to find it as soon as I can )

http://www.brianandcharlie.com/blog
^Alexandra^, Brian, Charlie 07/28/2003
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Here is some basic info I was given on Aspergers as well as book/website recommendations:

Symptoms/characteristics:
* Severe difficulty with social interactions; socially naive, inappropriate, awkward repetitive, narrow and unusual patterns of behavior and interests
*No clinicially-significant delays in language or congnition, unlike classic autism
*May appear clumsy or have delayed motor development
*Appears eccentric to other children
*Loner, but intensely wants to be included by other children; wants to be sociable
*Often frustrated by writing
*Needs space. May be hpyersensitive to light, touch, noise, or smell
*Lacks conversational reciprocity, unless explicitly taught
Brain Biology
*Processes faces as objects; reduced activation of fusiform gyrus (Yale, 2000)
*Likely genetic factors being researched
*A pervasive developmental disorder
*Often accompanied by mood and anxiety-spectrum disorders
*Possible overlap with Nonverbal Learning Disability
Classroom (only a few of the listings)
*Often verbal IQ much higher than performance. Teachers typically overestimate academic ability, underestimate frustrations. Remember, 80% of communication is non-verbal! These children do not preocess non verbal correctly
*May have more difficult behavior in school then home. Parents are more predictable - hence less anxiety-provoking then classmates
*Protect from bullies or predatory students

Books for Children:
*Asperger's: What does it Mean to Me? by Catherine Faherty, Gary B Mesiboy
Books for Teachers and Parents:
*Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals by Tony Attwood, Lorna Wing
*Incorporating Social Goals in the Classroom: A Guide for Teachers and Parents of Children with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome by Rebecca A. Moyes
*The OASIS Guide to Asperger Syndrome: Advice, Support, Insight, and Inspiration by Patricia Romanowski Bashe, Barbara L. Kirby
*Emergence: Labeled Autistic by Temple Grandin - first person account

Internet Sites:
* Autism Society of NC - http://www.autismsociety-nc.org
* TEACCH - http://www.teacch.com/
* Yale Child Study Clinic - http://info.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/autism/aspergers.htm
*OASSIS - http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/

http://www.brianandcharlie.com/blog
^Alexandra^, Brian, Charlie 07/28/2003
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Laraine,

Have you looked into RDI? It's Relationship Development Intervention. It is by Dr. Steven Gutstein. You can get the info book on Amazon. We did it for 6 months and it really did help our son, but we discontinued as it's very pricey and we needed to focus on behavioral at the moment (still do). But it was all about socializing and how to do it. Just a thought. I think it's under RDIconnect.com.

Ann

BBG born 7/7/03
33 weeks 3 days

Two of my kids are on the autism spectrum. One of my BBB is autistic and my oldest Ds who is 14 has aspergers. Unfortunately for my son he was not properly diagnosed until he was almost 14. School has been a huge social strugle for him. We have had so much happen over the years it would be too much to write. You are lucky to be diagnosed early. He had alot of anxiety with new experiences. Every time there would be a sub at school or a change in schedule he would get upset. We always had to arrive at places early so the crowd could fill in around us. I truly believe my son would have done sooo much better if he had been diagnosed earlier. He is a straight A student but as puberty approached the lacking social skills became more evident. We have been in and out of district and specialized classes. Behavior from social anxiety has been his biggest challenge. But I am proud to say that he just graduated from 8th grade with the mainstreamed class!! (It was an awesome moment) He also has a job!!! I don't know what high school will bring but for right now he is feeling really good about himself. Feel free to contact me if you would like to chat about my experiences. There is hope with aspergers.

Mom to:
B 9/15/93
G 8/1/95
BBB 1/22/05

Ann - I will definitely look into the info you suggested. For the time being his behavior is prett good. He totally lacks social skills though. He will play and interact with his brother but thats about it. We have the boys in a basketball class through the community center and when they are all sitting on the bench - his is sitting on the end all by himself - its really heartbreaking.

Caddrn - I find it interesting that you say you have to get places early and let the crowd fill in around you. Brian would always get upset if we walked into a room/store, etc that was full of people. He did this as far back as I can remember. I always try to get somewhere before the 'crowd' as well!. It sounds like your son is doing well. I'm really happy for you and for him. Congratulations on his 8th grade graduation - that is fantastic!. It does give me hope that he will be ok. I know he may have a tougher road than some other kids but hopefully with help he'll get through just fine and do as well as your son is doing.

http://www.brianandcharlie.com/blog
^Alexandra^, Brian, Charlie 07/28/2003
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