Worried About Our Son

[Guest guest]

Hi,

We have a 4 1/2 year-old son who we believe has Aspergers. It seems

to wax and wane. For a time we thought he was developing normally,

but for several months now he seems to be stuck in a concerning

pattern of behavior which includes:

1) Fascination with cars makes and models; i.e. consistently

questions me about purchasing a new car. Insists that he sits in a

certain way in the car, so that he can see the steering wheel/gear

shift.

2)Has trouble with story comprehension (explaining/understanding

plots, difficulty communicating clearly).

3)Has had stereotypies since he was one years old. These can be

described as odd behavior consisting of being lost in a trance of

pacing back and forth with heavy breathing and pulling the collar of

his shirt. We either have to repeat a call to him 2-3 times or shout

to get his attention when he is in this pacing, trance-like state.

He used to do this primarily when he had downtime, was bored or

tired; but in recent months he is doing this outside of these times.

4)Exhibits extreme boredom, laziness with athletic/sports-related

activities such as bike riding, running, Kiddie

Karate/tumbling/soccer. Does not pay attention to coach/treacher. He

seems to have little tone in his wrists, is sluggish.

5)He is crying more and more when something does not go his way. We

are trying to teach him to talk it out, but it's an uphill battle.

6)Not very physically affectionate.

Does anyone recognize these behaviors in your young child? My

husband and I wonder if he may have more of an attention-deficit

disorder problem. In math and especially reading/spelling he is

clearly ahead of his peers; but we fear his academic promise will go

down the drain because of these issues. Also, if anyone has any

suggestions for therapy, social activities, medication or anything

else, that would be much appreciated.

Regards,

Sam