Asperger's Syndrome?

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aimekuelmc

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Does anyone know much about this condition?

Someone recently told me they thought our son might have it. After reading some info, it does seem possible.

He has been described to me by his peers as “weird”, and has seemed to have difficulty making and keeping friends.

Some of his behavior is strange, and he does focus on one subject when talking, almost obsessively.

When he was in public school, one teacher complained that he was behaving “weird”, and he had been bullied all the time. But he was also complemented by his teacher’s about how advanced his vocabulary was.

If this really is a possibility, who would be able to make such a diagnosis?

MC
Please ignore the other post - the computer burped and it was posted a second time.
 
Hi, MC. Asperger’s Syndrome is a part of the Autism spectrum. Just by the very little info you have given, it certainly sounds as though your son may have it. A psychiatrist would most likely make the diagnosis after a battery of tests. A friend of mine has a son with Asperger’s (and it is almost always found in boys for some reason), and you could have been describing her son in your post. A good place to get info is: udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/.
It can be very frustrating, because as I understand it, Asperger’s kids are usually HIGHLY intelligent, with extremely well-developed vocabularies, so many people don’t think of them as autistic. However, once you get the diagnosis, you can begin treatment (usually occupational therapy for the relationship/social aspects, and physical therapy for fine motor skills, which many Asperger kids seem to lack). The earlier you, your family, and your son’s school begin to work with him, the better off he will be. It IS possible for him to learn to make and cement relationships, and to form attachments that right now seem foreign to him.
Good luck in your search for answers. I will pray for you.
 
here is a link - udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/
Ask your doctor. He will lead you to the appropriate professionals who can diagnose your son. Don’t worry - if a child acts ‘weird’ it does not mean he has a disorder.
 
Knew a child who was diagnosed with this. He definitely was “different,” but improved so greatly when put in a better home environment, that the experts are no longer sure of the diagnosis. Do a search, I know there is a website. Read all you can and then get a recommendation of a good specialist in the field.
Will be praying for you and your family.
 
I have a son with Asperger’s syndrome. I will second the link that is posted above. I would also recomed Tony Atwood as good resource. He has an excelent book that is very easy to understand. Talk to your Dr. about a diagnosis. In our area most of the people who have recieved a diagnosis got it from a neurologist or a developmental Pediatrician. It is not a fun process. You school district may also have some programs that could help your son out. I’m lucky in that our school district has a wonderful program and the parents are very involved. Good thing, since I have two on the spectrum.
 
Thanks for the info. The more I read about it, the more it seems a possibility.
I hope it’s not, but it would explain alot. Otherwise, I just have an odd son! 🙂

MC
 
MC

I have a son with Asperger’s Syndrome also. Just having the diagnosis was a relief. It explained alot. And once we realized how sensitive he was to stimuli, we put him in more appropriate situations. And so he did better and felt better about himself.

However, it was also devastating to learn that our child had a real problem that would be with him the rest of his life. Our Blessed Mother has been a comfort to me. I often meditate on the 4th Joyful Mystery, The Presentation in the Temple. Having a son with a problem has made me realize that Mary’s Heart was first pierced by a sword, just by hearing Simeon say that her son would suffer. Just as when our son was diagnosed.

I also try to remind myself, that God has given our son all the gifts and talents he needs to fulfill his mission in life. So I no longer focus on his problems but on his strengths. I will keep you in my prayers.

Mary
 
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aimekuelmc:
Thanks for the info. The more I read about it, the more it seems a possibility.
I hope it’s not, but it would explain alot. Otherwise, I just have an odd son! 🙂

MC
Click to expand...
Dear Aime-

If you’re truly concerned about your son, see a psychiatrist/pediatrician for a proper diagnosis. The Internet is the last place to see medical advice! If he is diagnosed with A. syndrome, then you can immediately address and cope with the symptoms. Otherwise, you risk working yourself up, either over something imaginative or with faulty information about a real condition.

All the best…
 
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aimekuelmc:
Does anyone know much about this condition?

Someone recently told me they thought our son might have it. After reading some info, it does seem possible.

He has been described to me by his peers as “weird”, and has seemed to have difficulty making and keeping friends.

Some of his behavior is strange, and he does focus on one subject when talking, almost obsessively.

When he was in public school, one teacher complained that he was behaving “weird”, and he had been bullied all the time. But he was also complemented by his teacher’s about how advanced his vocabulary was.

If this really is a possibility, who would be able to make such a diagnosis?

MC
Please ignore the other post - the computer burped and it was posted a second time.
Click to expand...
Hi - I have two children on the autistic spectrum. Our five-year old daughter has Asperger syndrome, which was diagnosed by a pediatric psychologist, and was later confirmed by a developmental pediatrician. In our experience, average pediatricians don’t know a whole lot about these disorders and try to put off diagnosing them. Also, in our experience neurologists have been useless as they’ve insisted on medicating away the symptoms instead of addressing the core deficits of autism and Asperger syndrome.

Our daughter presents as highly intelligent (her IQ is FAR above mine, and among the top percentiles for her age) but socially deficient. She is extremely sensitive to changes in her routine, misses social cues understood by typical same-aged peers, scripts play and conversation from what she’s heard on TV or from other people, and has difficulty with fine-motor skills (she drew her first self-portrait last week and isn’t yet doing letters, as her peers are doing in Sunday school). She doesn’t seem to understand the significance of certain relationships - for example, she calls us “my friend Mommy and my friend Daddy.” Her verbal skills (when she’s not scripting) are noticeably more advanced than those of her peers. New social situations simply paralyze her with anxiety.

We’ve just started a program called Relationship Development Intervention (RDI). You can read more about this here: connectionscenter.com. With RDI, we hope to address the core social deficits I described above. Interestingly, Dr. Gutstein, the originator of the RDI approach, is highly supportive of homeschooling because it allows parents and RDI consultants to carefully control social interactions until it is determined that the child is capable of handling them.

Feel free to ask questions, and while I don’t claim to be an expert in this area, I’ve been working through these issues with two children ‘on the spectrum’ for over three years.

Our prayers are with you and your family,
Dan
 
Oh, I almost forgot… I’ve learned TONS from the resources offered by The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding. Carol Gray, who founded the Center, is known throughout the world for her pioneering work with social stories.

Especially relevant are materials written by Nick Dubin, a 28-year old PhD candidate in psychology who also has Asperger syndrome. He wasn’t diagnosed with the condition until recently. His book, entitled Breaking Down Hidden Barriers, is outstanding, as it details his experiences growing up before professionals knew anything about Asperger syndrome.

Best,
Dan
 
I agree with djrakowski’s reccomendations. My son with AS is also very intelligent. When they were testing him (at age 5) they wanted to know why I taught him how to multiply and divide. I hadn’t. My father in law had once given him a breif discription and example just beucase he was asking about it. from that he was able to figure out how to do it. I have heard great things about RDI adn I love Crol Grey. Her social stories are wonderful.

I know it seems like it would be hard, but it is really a blessing in disguise. I wouldn’t have anyother children then the ones God gave me. I have learned so much from them.
 
I have a son with AS. He is starting a masters of architecture program at Tulane University this fall. HANG IN THERE!!!

He was diagnosed informally by a sociologist intern at the center where he was getting therapy for “emotional problems” when he was 7. We knew he was “different” but no one seemed to be able to put a finger on it. She identified it pretty quickly. And her dignosis was confirmed bya battery of tests done by a child development program at the local University Hospital.

He went to a social skills group for a time. But when we moved it was harder to find programs for him (this was a decade ago).

His smarts helped him a lot, and the social activities within our church community.

He didn’t have many friends until high school. He is gifted musically and artistically. He has obsessions, oh my! He worked through high school at a library, his need for order really helped him there.

He is a quirky kid, but hardly anyone who knows him suspects he has any kind of “syndrome”. He has figured out ways to deal with social situations, and even enjoys them, though he never has become as social as most high schoolers. He spends a fair amount of time on his music and his hobbies.

He has not needed to be in “special ed”, but look into it in your school system if you get the diagnosis. Some districts have really awesome programs targeted at this type of situation, and don’t deny your child the benefit if it is available.

It is a parent’s job to help our children utilize their gifts and manage their challenges. I think this is the best approach to an asperger’s child as well. The syndrome has gifts within itself. Those obsessions can become hobbies, careers, sources of pride.

Best of luck and blessings to you.

cheddar
 
Thank you for all the wonderful replies.

I had pulled him out of public school, and have homeschooled the past two years. I did so because of the various difficulties in school, but especially the bullying. He’s smart, but his teachers complained about his behavior, especially towards the other students. I’m surprised this wasn’t picked up, as his school had the only autism class in our county.

It looks like his regular pediatrition may not be able to diagnose, so I’ll start looking for a good pediatric phychiatrist - we do have a good mental health hospital, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.

Thank you again for all the wonderful information.

MC
 
Mary's Lamb:
MC,
We homeschool our son with Asperger’s too.
Mary
Click to expand...
Do you find it difficult?
And do you use a special curriculum or program?

MC
 
MC,

Do I find homeschooling difficult? A hard question to answer. Some days are hard, others better. But after the public school system failed to help him (long story), we tried homeschooling. And it has made all the difference for him.

For our first 5 years of homeschooling, I developed my own curriculum. His skills were all over the place that I couldn’t imagine that any one curriculum would fit him. Eg, Math computation was 1st grade, Math analysis was 9th grade, Vocabulary was 10th grade, Comprehension was grade level (5th at the time he was tested), Spelling and writing was 1st grade.

Now he is in highschool and I wanted him to get a diploma. So we are enrolled in Seton in their special services. They have been absolutely great in helping us.
 
Mary's Lamb:
And it has made all the difference for him.
…
So we are enrolled in Seton in their special services. They have been absolutely great in helping us.
Click to expand...
Mary,

Thanks!
I have seen a major difference in his whole demeanor since homeschooling. Even mom tells me she doesn’t think he should ever go back to public school.

And we already use Seton, so it shouldn’t be difficult to move to special services, should he be diagnosed with Asperger’s

MC
 
Hi,

My prayers are with you and your family. I don’t have an Asperger’s child, but I do have one who is middle to high-functioning autistic, ADD and CAPD. He does have obsessions, quirks and social issues, but he has made considerable progress. He has surpassed the bleak prognosis given to him by the professionals. The educational setting and support your child receives can make a huge difference. Be very careful about where you decide to place your child and never let school district professionals intimidate you; it is ultimately your decision, it is your child. My son attends Catholic school and receives Speech and “Resource Room” via our public school district. We are fortunate. I have heard horror stories about what some families have had to deal with - group IEP meetings, etc. I have found talking to other parents on the About forums to be very comforting and enlightening. If I can help or support you in any way, please feel free to contact me on this forum or you can email me privately at greysanatomyfan@yahoo.com Take care
 
Just some suggestions, if that’s ok: one poster (sorry, I can’t remember name to give you proper credit) mentioned the excellent idea of getting him involved in church activities. That has been great for us. We are lucky that our parish offers intramural sports programs from age 4 up through high school. (We also just started a teen club.) See if your parish has intramurals, if not, does a neighboring parish or your recreation department offer them? We have some children with autism and various DD participating in our programs alongside non-disabled kids. It is non-competitive, everyone plays an equal amount of time in the games regardless of skill/experience level, beginners are always welcome. Everyone gets a trophy and there are occasional family picnics and other get-togethers. It is a great way for your child to make friends and get to know other nice families. See if you can find a program like this. I know what has helped some of our local kids are Scouts and Karate classes (my son loves Karate), any form of Martial Arts is good. Or any club/class based on your son’s interests, it doesn’t have to be sports. Good luck.
 
If you haven’t already, check out “The Out of Sync Child” and “The Out of Sync Child Has Fun” by Carol Stock Kranowitz for some helpful suggestions and support. A friend of mine whose child has sensory integration issues recommended them to me. She even highlighted passages and brought them in to show her child’s teacher to help explain to her how he could be helped in the classroom.
 
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