Re: Not sure if I really belong here yet, lol

[Guest guest]

Hi there:

My son just turned 5 a few months ago and has been dx-ed with ADHD and SID but

I'm having him evaluated for Autism (thinking he'd fit into " high functioning " ,

PDD-NOS or Asperger's) through both the school and a DPed.

Has anyone else had a similar dx for their kiddo and it turned out that they

were really on the spectrum?

We didn't really notice a ton of sensory or behavior stuff until he was enrolled

in preschool (they asked him to leave before the winter holiday). I had him

evaluated by the local school district at that time and they placed him in the

EIC preschool/PPCD. He did that for about 1.5 years.

We tried to place him in mainstream Kindy this fall but just moved him into a

SAC (social adjustment class) last week b/c he was hitting and biting during

unstructured activities (and louder environments) like recess and lunch in the

cafeteria.

He's very vocal and tries to make friends but that never seems to go " right " and

I'm just concerned he's got the wrong dx.

Thanks for your time and input! :-)

[Guest guest]

We're in the same boat here, my son got the ADHD dx at age 5, anxiety disorder at age 6, I think he was 9 when they evaluated him for and diagnosed him with SPD/SID. Now he's 11 and we're awaiting an appointment at the autism and related disorders center as it is suspected that he has asperger's or PDD-NOS. Part of me is annoyed that we've been in such close contact with mental health professional's for so many years and no one picked up on it yet (but practical strangers see it) but I have read that a lot of boys aren't diagnosed with Asperger's until around age 10 or so, for the same reasons that we have heard, the ADHD, etc. It's good that this is being recognized early with your guy, I try not to think about the time we've lost that could have helped him adjust better or at least would help

lessen the frustration over the years. Good luck!

[Guest guest]

Wow, your experience sounds a bit like ours. My son has not yet gotten a

diagnosis, but also tried the mainstream kindy class and was referred to the

autism class after his teacher could not get him to follow through in classwork.

The referral not only came from her, but also the district psychologist and the

principal who has a son who has asperger's.

My brother was misdiagnosed with ADD nearly 20 years ago. A few years ago he

went to the doctor and was told he did not have ADD, but that there was a 54%

chance that he does have Asperger's. He never did go back to see if he does and

now has no insurance.... So misdiagnosing does happen.

When you said, " He's very vocal and tries to make friends but that never seems

to go " right " " , that really struck home with me. My son is quite the same. He is

so impulsive and easily gets carried away so that his actions sometimes are the

inappropriate ones and can get him in trouble.

My mother is about the only one I have to talk to as my husband still thinks

there is nothing " wrong " ~ which in a way he is right, there is nothing wrong

with our son, he is just different. He seems to think if we keep him busy he

will be fine, but that is not always the case. He has his own agenda and it is

often not what he is supposed to do or needs to do. Keeping busy is only a

distraction sometimes.

I would love to talk with you more off group,if you would like. I have not yet

met other parents in my community with asperger's children and it would be nice

to have someone that knows what I am going through.

>

> Hi there:

>

> My son just turned 5 a few months ago and has been dx-ed with ADHD and SID but

I'm having him evaluated for Autism (thinking he'd fit into " high functioning " ,

PDD-NOS or Asperger's) through both the school and a DPed.

>

> Has anyone else had a similar dx for their kiddo and it turned out that they

were really on the spectrum?

>

> We didn't really notice a ton of sensory or behavior stuff until he was

enrolled in preschool (they asked him to leave before the winter holiday). I had

him evaluated by the local school district at that time and they placed him in

the EIC preschool/PPCD. He did that for about 1.5 years.

>

> We tried to place him in mainstream Kindy this fall but just moved him into a

SAC (social adjustment class) last week b/c he was hitting and biting during

unstructured activities (and louder environments) like recess and lunch in the

cafeteria.

>

> He's very vocal and tries to make friends but that never seems to go " right "

and I'm just concerned he's got the wrong dx.

>

> Thanks for your time and input! :-)

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Actually the only reason we got the diagnosis is because we looked it up online and did the checkpoints and realized he may have it and got in touch with appropriate group. What is SPD/SID though?Charity

-- When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.To the world you might be one person, but to one person you just might be the worldLife is not measured by the number of breaths we take-but by the moments that take our breath away.

No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is, won't make you cry.

[Guest guest]

: thanks so much for the additional info. I discovered some of this during

my online research and that's what made me request the additional evaluations.

:-)

: wow, sounds very similar except we discovered the sensory 1st and then

ADHD was suggested later.

Charity: me too. Looked it up online and asked for the evals. SID/SPD is sensory

integration disorder or sensory processing disorder.

itshotinjt04: I'm sorry I didn't catch your first name. I'm happy to chat in

here or via email. Have you asked the school to do the eval? The ASDS is the one

for Asperger Syndrome but I know there are others. CARS2 and GARS 2 look for

autism too but may not catch the PDD-NOS or higher functioning autistic kiddos.

I'm sorry to hear that so many of our kids may have the wrong dx but it's great

that we're all so proactive. All we can do is make the best decision we can with

the information we have at the time.

More info on us:

No one (neuropsychologist, pediatrician or the school) seems to think he's on

the spectrum but I've been battling with the school over services for 2 months

now. He's been moved to the smaller classroom and he now gets scheduled motor

lab/sensory breaks. The advocate, from a local disability rights group, helping

me during the whole ARD process suggested my son might be on the spectrum. He

has never been seen by a developmental pediatrician so I'm getting that set up

now. The school is doing an eval too. I just did the ASDS and the raw score for

my son is 33. I'm not sure how that converts yet but when I Googled it, I found

something stating that 30 = likely?

Just looking for some answers and hoping to be able to get him the services he

might need.

> > >

> > > Hi there:

> > >

> > > My son just turned 5 a few months ago and has been dx-ed with ADHD

> > and SID but I'm having him evaluated for Autism (thinking he'd fit

> > into " high functioning " , PDD-NOS or Asperger's) through both the

> > school and a DPed.

> > >

> > > Has anyone else had a similar dx for their kiddo and it turned out

> > that they were really on the spectrum?

> > >

> > > We didn't really notice a ton of sensory or behavior stuff until he

> > was enrolled in preschool (they asked him to leave before the winter

> > holiday). I had him evaluated by the local school district at that

> > time and they placed him in the EIC preschool/PPCD. He did that for

> > about 1.5 years.

> > >

> > > We tried to place him in mainstream Kindy this fall but just moved

> > him into a SAC (social adjustment class) last week b/c he was hitting

> > and biting during unstructured activities (and louder environments)

> > like recess and lunch in the cafeteria.

> > >

> > > He's very vocal and tries to make friends but that never seems to go

> > " right " and I'm just concerned he's got the wrong dx.

> > >

> > > Thanks for your time and input! :-)

> > >

> > >

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> > No virus found in this message.

> > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com <http://www.avg.com>

> > Version: 2012.0.1872 / Virus Database: 2092/4620 - Release Date: 11/16/11

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Oh wow Peggy I really enjoyed reading your story about your grandson! I

am also a grandmother and my grandson Lucas sound quite a bit like your

grandson Garrett. He has gotten in trouble at school also for saying

things out of Sponge Bob also. Also he loves War of the World movies and

has them memorized, also Star Wars trilogy, knows everybody. He got in

trouble last year in second grade one day for saying he was going to

blow up the school and kill people, we know he said this from the movie

but they were really worried about him there for awhile. He is not

violent though and would never hurt anybody just not sure what

terminology he should use. He used to also said he would kill you, but

since we have taught him he cannot say any of those things or he is in

trouble so it has helped.

He also knew lots of big words before he could really talk and would

spell them are write them out. How old did you say he was? My grandson

is 7 and just today we had him to his developmental pediatrician and she

tested him and came out and said he was; " One smart little cookie! " and

from her expression she looked very impressed with him.

I am like you, have been impressed with my grandson for a long time and

love being with him and talking to him. He also has a bit of trouble

with friends because he is just so friendly and does not understand

their resistance to him at times I think, just wants everybody to like

him because he likes them. Gets quite upset when they do not

reciprocate, younger kids are friendlier than bigger ones usually. He

does enjoy hugging but on his terms, doesn't want you to initiate it,

but when he does he wants you to cooperate with him. Seems he is doing

it with me because he knows I like it and he wants to please me, and I

really do love his hugs.

He does want to follow the rules and be a " good boy " but gets confused

at times not knowing what is expected of him. I wonder if he has not

been " acting " stupid at school also because he thought it was not cool

or something.

Did you say whether he has been diagnosed by a doctor yet?

Carolyn, a grandmother in Oregon USA ;o)

Peg wrote:

>

> I thought this title would fit here too...

> Hi Group,

> I’ve been reading here and I just don’t know where to start.

> A little background info…

> My daughter has had four children, the oldest, a girl who is now 14.

> She is very affectionate, has had a very good memory from the time she

> was little, say 3 - 4, had a little trouble in school but is an A

> student now.

> A daughter who had complex CHDs (Congenital Heart Defect) and a

> genetic disorder called VCFS (Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome) and lived

> less than two months.

> Garrett was next, then another boy who is 5 now.

> Garrett is - different. He is 9 yrs old now and understanding things

> better but I feel like the school in this little town in Oklahoma just

> doesn’t “get itâ€.

> When he was little we knew he was different but very smart different.

> The school tested him and said it was probably ADHD, but after reading

> all about that, there are things that just don’t quite fit.

> They said his is IQ test was low, but he doesn’t learn like the other

> kids so how could a standard IQ test have accurate results? We haven’t

> quite figured out what makes it click, pretty much, just few words and

> maybe images?

> He started talking with real words when he was about 3 but didn’t

> completely have a “normal†conversation until he was 5.

> My son put it best when he said “Garrett could read before he could

> talk†which meant, he was able to associate printed words with

> objects, I guess.

> At age 3-4, (or that’s when I first observed it) he could reenact a

> short video, like a movie trailer/preview - action for action, word

> for word (at the time not all the words were words, but sounds like

> the words) for each character. Does anyone remember the “Incrediblesâ€

> movie preview? That was one of his favorites. He could do any video

> and that’s why I say he has “video memory†I just don’t know how else

> to describe it.

> He gets in trouble a lot from his parents because he watches Sponge

> Bob and “what the?†is said a lot on there, he would repeat it and get

> in trouble.

> When he was 2 - 3, he stayed with me while his mother was at work. We

> had three TVs in the house with three VHS players. He would HAVE to

> have all three going at the same time, if one stopped (movie was over)

> he would have a .. well, he would start crying and fall to the floor

> with his head in his hands, nothing would calm him - except getting

> another movie started or replaying that one.

> He wouldn’t eat at a table no matter how hard or what I tried. If I

> left crackers, cheese, fruit and veggies out on a plate on the coffee

> table and not say anything about it, he would eat it. If I said

> anything about it, he would sort of freak out and run away.

> My daughter and son-in-law put such emphasis on it he is now a bit

> over-weight due to the “I’m eating good, see, I’m a good boyâ€.

> He is super careful not to do things wrong or get in trouble, he wants

> to be a “good boyâ€. He has outburst of talking back and being rude to

> his mother (she says) so he is punished by not being allowed to have

> tv, video games, or going outside. He and his little brother are in

> trouble a lot.

> As he got older, say, 5 - 6 he really liked having a calendar and

> refers to it all the time.

> Routine is very important, if something happens (like the time his

> sister wasn’t riding the bus that day) he would have a melt down (the

> same thing, crying, his head in his hands, nothing can calm him).

> He is very social, but none of the kids at school he calls his

> friends, like him, they make fun of him and say mean things to him.

> He knows the names of everyone he comes in contact with and says hi to

> them when he sees them.

> He can tell you all about what he got for his birthday from the time

> he was 3, maybe even before that.

> I don’t know how far that goes, he may remember everything, I don’t

> know. He seems to.

> Something he has done from the time he was 2 was to test us. He had a

> little computer type thing with a follow me game on it. He would be

> able to follow the game past 20 or so (it had buttons with words and

> pictures, you were suppose to remember them in order and each time it

> would add another button, like “owl, barn†“owl, barn, apple†etc.)

> but when he got bored with it, he would get it wrong on purpose.

> He is extremely focused, whatever he is interested in at the time he

> goes over 100+ times. He can tell you every president, every state and

> the capital of that state. He knows all the animals and where they

> live or come from, he can tell you all about the Bakugan game he has,

> act out the entire video of it and many other things that will drive

> you crazy LOL.

> My husband and I have started teaching him Spanish and he knows the

> words we’ve showed him already.. Okay, I’m still learning them.

> If he is interested, he learns all about it. One day we were talking

> and I told him how smart he is, he said “Granny, if I’m so smart why

> is school so hard, they (the kids) call me stupid and say I’m an

> idiot.†I was crushed, but told him the only thing I knew to tell him…

> “Garrett, you are not stupid or an idiot and you have to know that!

> The school just doesn’t know how to teach you. You are so smart, that

> YOU have to figure out a way to learn what they are teaching you so

> you can make good grades.†He did, not long after that conversation he

> started making As. I don’t know how he did it, but he was determined

> enough to figure out a way. When he first started school, he did

> great, reading before the other kids, knew the math, I didn’t think he

> was going to have a problem. Then the kids started making fun of him

> for knowing everything so he started “acting†dumb, I’m not sure how

> he got to the point of not knowing the work but he’s on the right

> track now. He still has some problems but he seems to be working

> through them.

> He is, uh, I guess the best word for this is naïve. He wants friends

> so bad, he doesn’t care what they do to him as long as he can think

> they are his friends, so he forgives easily. Just the other day he got

> in a lot of trouble at school, it was the other boys plotting against

> him, the teacher who knows Garrett but believed the other boys so

> Garrett was the one to take the fall. He doesn’t do well with being in

> trouble and he knows this was unfair but didn’t say anything so he

> didn’t get the other boys in trouble.

> I don’t know, this is way too long already, but there has got to be a

> way to help him. It’s so hard for him not fitting in with these other

> kids.

> Oh, a few more things, he doesn’t really like to be hugged or touched

> really, doesn’t like animals around him, I don’t know if that makes

> any difference here but I thought I would throw it in. The other thing

> is, when his mother tried to tell anyone about how smart his is, they

> don’t believe her or me. I know every parent (or grandparent) likes to

> think their child is really smart but in my opinion, Garrett is

> gifted! He just doesn’t know how or isn’t able to be social in an

> acceptable way. The other day his “best friend†who he has known and

> been friends with for years told him “I’ve been keeping a secret

> Garrett, I think you are weird and stupidâ€. This really blew Garrett’s

> mind and he wants to know WHY!

> Help..

> Peggy,

> Garrett’s Granny

>

>

>