Re: Deb re. Aspergers help

October 6, 2011

Hi Deb: I wanted to let you know that you're not alone in finding resources

scarce for those with an ASD and their families. We have approached all the same

(or equivalent) resources Helen mentioned available in Ontario without success.

We found that our best bet & the fastest route to help was explaining the

difficulties & asking the family doctor for a referral to a psychiatrist on the

basis of " suspected autism spectrum disorder " . Psychiatrists can both diagnose

ASD's & cut the red tape blocking access to help. After diagnoses, as the NT

family member, I stayed with the psychiatrist while my immediate family members

continued their own counselling & skills acquisition with a social worker. :-)

Both are covered by Ontario Health Insurance & may be covered in BC too.

Just FYI, I know many women with formally diagnosed ASD's, including my MIL, (my

BIL), his wife, 2 of her 3 sisters, their mother, my two daughters & 2 of

hubby's cousins. Hubby himself also has Asperger's. The literature may not

indicate that women are diagnosed as often as men, but at least in my husband's

family, there are more women with Autism Spectrum Disorders then there are men.

If you'd like to talk about ASDs in women & girls, please feel free to contact

me off-list. I'd be happy to help however I can, including just being a

listening ear. I hope it helps.

Peace, in Canada

>

> Hi Deb,

> Sorry, my last post went without any content! Trying this again..

>

> I am really sorry about what has happened to your daughter. Sadly, hers is a

more common experience for further into the spectrum AS females. One of our

members, Sondra , now an autism speaker, was institutionalized as a

teenager. As your own daughter has experienced, females on the spectrum seeking

psychiatric diagnosis are far more likely to be given a whole plethora of labels

in the " personality disorder " category, and prescribed medication which many on

the spectrum have paradoxical reactions to.

>

> AS females suffer far less on the social communication side of things, the

interpretation of the DSM criteria for AS is rather more literal in Canada. So

here, females are even less likely to diagnosed with an ASD unless it manifests

itself in such a way that it is a severe and chronic liability to work and daily

living. I've only ever met one diagnosed AS female Canadian. In her 40's, she

has profound social communication impairments, and she needed a dx to receive a

social assistance allowance.

>

> In the Lower Mainland, the Sunny Hill Health Centre at the BC Children's

Hospital is one of the places where children are sent for an assessment of a

pervasive developmental disorder.

> http://www.bcchildrens.ca/Services/SunnyHillHealthCtr/default.htm

>

> However, your daughter (or you, with your daughter's consent) would need a

referral from a family doctor first. Your will have to furnish documented

concerns, as to why you feel she should be assessed. FEAT BC has one checklist

that parents can use. http://www.featbc.org/

>

> Knowledge is power, and before you approach a family doctor, I would really

encourage you find someone within the autism support community your area who can

give you advice and help you navigate the system. FEAT may be able to help, and

also, the Autism Society of BC: http://www.autismbc.ca/

>

> I imagine you have done some research already about Aspergers in children and

adults but if you haven't already checked out Newland's website, I highly

recommend it. http://www.aspires-relationships.com/ There are a couple of

articles on the home page about Aspergers in females.

>

> And, in case you haven't heard of him, Tony Attwood is considered the foremost

expert in childhood high functioning autism. Too bad he's in Australia, but he

has an extensive and informative website. At his site there is a link to a test

that you can complete for your grand-daughter. While not an official diagnostic

tool, some aware doctors do consider it a valid indicator.

http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/

>

> Here's a self test for adults that was created by Simon Baron Cohen, a

respected autism researcher in the UK:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aqtest.html

>

> I wish you all the luck in the world, Deb, and my heart goes out to you and

your daughter and grand-daughter.

> - Helen, 56, self-dx'd AS, dx'd ADD

>

October 6, 2011

Hi ,

It is encouraging to hear that women are being diagnosed in Eastern Canada. If I

ever move back there, I'll give it another try myself

I am aware that Deb may or may not be able to get the same kind of support

through autism societies anywhere in Canada that there used to be a decade ago

when the groups were more grassroots and volunteer driven, but to my knowledge,

those groups are still active in BC.

My main message is I want her to speak with another parent in her area so she

might know the " lay of the land " before she approaches child mental health

services for her grand-daughter. Services (and attitudes) do vary greatly from

province to province, and even from locale to locale. In my second post to her I

sent a link to a post that was written by a psychologist who lives in the Lower

Mainland, and it contains more specific advice on the process they follow there.

I know that you will have excellent insights for her and that's the thing that

is so wonderful about people in this group, how they take the time to reach out

to each other and help each other, despite the conditions they labour under

themselves.

- Helen

>

> Hi Deb: I wanted to let you know that you're not alone in finding resources