Guest guest Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 I have 4 boys with autism and the behaviors you describe sounds alot like my 14 year old, classic Aspergers. He was first diagnosed with ADHD, and then later with Aspergers. Hope this helped. If you need more info, just ask. Alot of people here are willing to jump in and help in any way. Also feel free to email me personally. Sharon(moderator) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Hi Sam, Have you discovered the OASIS website? It has loads of info on Aspergers and might be helpful to you: http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/ You need to get your son assessed (I think in the States you would start with a paediatrician, here in England you would go to your GP). The sooner you can get a definite diagnosis, the sooner you can start with appropriate interventions, although do be aware that there are many out there who will offer you a 'cure' or the chance to make your son 'normal', but they cannot. in England Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Sam, Welcome, I hope you will find this group helpful. I know I have! I would recommend getting a comprehensive evaluation for your son. Many of his behaviors sound typical for AS, and the sooner you can start therapies to help him, the better. But, do some research before you take him to a psych. Find one that is knowledgeable about autistic spectrum disorders. Over the years, I have had doctors who have told me my son is fine and I worry too much, a doctor who recommended I take parenting classes (I have TAUGHT parenting classes!!!), one doctor who changed his diagnosis when I mentioned my son wanted to make friends with another boy at school. He said " Aspergers kids don't make friends, so I gues he is not Aspergers after all. " I found out later that one of the features of Aspergers is a desire to make friends but an inability to know how to!!! His teachers at school (a school that specializes in autistic spectrum disorders) say he is almost a textbook case of Aspergers and are amazed it took so long to get him a diagnosis. There is a lot of misconceptions about AS out in the medical community, so make sure you find one who understands!! >> 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. My son went through that when he was 4 (he is 8 now). He scared us a few times when he insisted on bending down near a moving car to try and see the gear shaft move! Over the years my son's fascinations have included: trains (but NOT - trains should NOT have faces according to him!!!), construction trucks, gears, the Titanic, cruise ships, and currently, sailing ships. The difference between AS and normal childhood interests is the degree to which the topic consumes him. My son will live, eat and breathe his current obsession. He will talk of nothing else for months, even years. We will buy books, models, do internet research, take him to museums, the works. Then, suddenly, it will be over and he will move on to a new topic. > 2)Has trouble with story comprehension (explaining/understanding > plots, difficulty communicating clearly). Typically, AS kids do have trouble in this area. My son actually has excellent comprehension on stories he hears, but not on stories he reads himself. > > 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. Yep, that sounds like AS too. My son used to roll toy trucks back and forth, back and forth. We worried he was deaf when he was two because he never responded to his name. He also smells his arm when he is agitated. > > 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. My son wants NOTHING to do with team sports. He does like to ride a tandem bike with his dad, but does not have the balance to ride solo. I would suggest a consultation with a good Occupational Therapist knowledgeble about Sensory Integration Dysfunction. It did a world of good for our son. > > 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. " use you words " We must say that a dozen times a day to our son. It will get better with time and patience. Also, most 4-5 year olds go through a period of crying to try and get their way. That is actually a pretty normal developmental stage. I teach kindergarten and see it a lot! Don't give in, no matter how hard it is, and this too, shall pass!!! > > 6)Not very physically affectionate. My son loves to " cuddle, " and sit on my lap ( he is physically small for his age, so able to still do that ). He hates to kiss or be kissed. When he was 4, he hated to cuddle or be held. Even as a baby, he only wanted to be held when he nursed. Our occupational therapist had us do a brushing therapy when he was 5. Before he could not stand to be touched, would wear only sweats and t-shirts, and screamed bloody murder at bathtime. We did it for two years (every two hours.......) and it worked wonders. > 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. AS kids are often ahead of their peers academically. My son is all over the map there. Two years ahead in math, but nearly a year delayed in reading. Because of his social issues and sensory difficulties, he can not attend regular school, even though he is " smart " enough to go there. He attends a private special ed school where he is thriving! > Also, if anyone has any > suggestions for therapy, social activities, medication or anything > else, that would be much appreciated. My son takes Ritalin to help him focus at school (7.5mg twice a day). I highly recommend the Feingold Diet www.feingold.org This is a diet that eliminates artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and salycilites. It has made a huge difference in our whole family. Not only has it helped our son's behavior and academics improve, my NT daughter's migraines have all but disappeared and my allergies are much improved!! Good luck. You have come to the right place. We have all been there!!! Debi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 per_dev_dis wrote: > 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: What's going on here is what I call " evincing. " He's been AS all along, but he's reached the end of the coping mechanisms he's developed to get along up to this point. > 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. Ah, yes. The " area of expertise. " Our Louie (24, HFA/AS) threw his first interest into almanacs. Then it was television programs and channels (satellite, cable, foreign and domestic). That one has pretty much stuck, and there isn't anything the guy doesn't know about TV programs; he's got a TV Guide collection that goes back to the 60's that goes along with this one. A side interest is Pokemon and anime in general. And, in his teens, he developed a penchant for researching things. Anything that took his fancy he would research until he knew all there was to know about it. The development of one or several " areas of expertise " is very typical of both High Functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome. > 2)Has trouble with story comprehension (explaining/understanding > plots, difficulty communicating clearly). That's because fiction is subjective. It deals with elements in human interaction that he may well have difficulty understanding. Also, a lot of our guys have a problem with cause and effect, and most fiction is a bubbling sea of cause and effect. Not to mention having to understand the feelings of others, when it's hard enough to label your own so you can deal with them. > 3)Has had stereotypes 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. We used to call this " deep space " when Louie did it. The trance thing, that is. Louie didn't pace, he just sat and stared while humming. I think it was his way of centering himself in his own body and in the world, as well as taking a break. Remember, those things that come effortlessly to we neurotypical (NT) folks, like dealing with one another and with the world as it is, are things that a lot of our guys have to learn like you would learn Spanish. It's a different language for our guys, our NT culture is largely incomprehensible to them without study and learning about it (as you would learn about, say, Latvia), and sometimes you just need a break from it all. I wish I could take a vacation in my mind like our son does. > 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. This may not be laziness. This may be a fear of failing, for one thing. The things you list are very difficult for some of our guys (not all of them; atypicality, thy name is autism). Louie, for example, didn't learn to pedal until he was in his late teens. He has no problem running (he does Special Olympic track & field), but some autistic people I've talked to have a real problem with having their feet off the ground for that long. And Louie has told us that no way would he ever go on a trampoline; too scary, sez he. Coordination is a problem for a lot of our guys too. Perhaps he pays no attention to his coach because he's already convinced himself that this stuff is beyond him. Have you thought about things like swimming, that are lower stress and less competitive? You might look at the Special Olympics program too; maybe he's just in the wrong peer group. (Our son doesn't hang out with that many NT people; most of his friends are autistic). > 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. I think that must be the toughest thing we parents go through. That is, when it becomes plain that our child is realizing him/herself that they are different from others. And when the frustration of something going wrong that was all thought out ahead of time hits, well, ya cry sometimes. Doesn't mean he's spoiled. It means he has very little understanding of how our world works. I don't know how you fix this, other than helping your kid develop callouses on the part that " no " hits. > 6)Not very physically affectionate. He may well have tactile issues. Does he have trouble with the tags in the back of his shirt? Does he " stiffen up " when you hug him? You might want to look into his tactile sensitivity. > 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. Math, reading, and spelling are all quantifiable. That is, they are not subjective, so there's no insight to make. Louie had no trouble with academic subjects either.....until he was asked to write about what he had read. That was a real problem, and we just about never got through it. But asked questions on something non-fiction he'd read? Not a problem; it was just facts, ma'am. You need to get a firm diagnosis from a psychologist or neurologist so that you can get an IEP (Individual Educational Plan) in place. The IEP will, ideally, address the academic things your son has to do in a way that will facilitate his doing those things. You should also make sure your child sees a psychologist to talk things through, one with experience in autism and autistics. Sometimes, just getting along in the NT world causes problems for our guys, and it's nice to have a place where you can go talk about it with someone who understands. You will also want to connect with a physical therapist to help with coordination (the gym stuff) and tactile issues if indeed he has them. It doesn't look as though his behavior is a problem, so a behavioral therapist wouldn't be necessary to you. There is no medication that will make these things go away. There are, however, meds that will lessen anxiety and like that. However, drs. don't like to prescribe them to kids as young as your guy (unlike when Louie was first diagnosed, in '82). You may want to keep them in mind for much further down the road; you never know. BTW, I'm Annie! I'm 56, been married 30 years to my dh Ron (54), and live in Albuquerque NM. Our two are Kris, 35, ADHD (adult dx) and living in Arizona, and Louie, 24, HFA/AS (dx at 2.5), who lives in an assisted living house with 2 roomies (also autistic) not far from us. Oh, and Chuckles, an extremely mouthy conure (small parrot, like ie in the movie) who claims he belongs to my husband, and a tank full of guppies who don't say much at all. Nice to meetcha! Annie, who loves ya annie@... -- We have enough youth .... How about a fountain of smart? -- Skoge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 24, 2004 Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 I really appreciate yours and others' helpful insights and am happy that this discussion group exists so that parents can share experiences. > But, do some research before you take him to a > psych. Find one that is knowledgeable about autistic spectrum disorders. I would describe our initial visit with a behavioral specialist (MD) at Childrens' National Medical Center as fair. Her diagnosis was mild Aspergers. But I left this first appt. at the specialist's office feeling like while the Dr. had experience with AS, she was not an expert. She handed us two articles about AS, and told us to make a followup appt. in 9 months. My husband, who's a general pediatrician, suggests we should go for the followup. Should I search the internet for a true PDD/Aspergers specialist in our area? If so, how? >I would > suggest a consultation with a good Occupational Therapist knowledgeble about > Sensory Integration Dysfunction. It did a world of good for our son. What does this type of therapy consist of? > the Feingold Diet www.feingold.org Thanks, I'll check it out. ~Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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