It’s an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
'Course, my six year old is being evaluated for it.
I look at the descriptions and think “yeah, my kid is like that- maybe he has it”. On the other hand, the descriptions seem kind of newspaper-horoscope-like too, in that they could apply to many people.
What is the straight dope on Asperger Syndrome?
My question would be “what difference will it make if the diagnosis is Asperger’s?” As far as I know, there aren’t drugs (yet, thank god) being pushed to treat it. I know a lot of techie people believe they have as well as a far number of people on this board. I know I seem to fit the symptoms (it would explain why I didn’t smile back as a baby and my inability to date). But I can’t see how a diagnosis would change my life in any way (other than to give me a new community to peruse).
I dunno (and I’m gonna get jumped on for this), it seems like a lot of these “milder” syndromes are an excuse to diagnosis behavior that is slightly abnormal but not debilitating and I worry about the children who get “labelled” early in life.
The problem is, most people (including a lot of the evaluators) aren’t clear that these types of disorders run in a spectrum. What’s the difference between mild Aspergers and poor interpersonal skills? What’s the difference between severe Aspergers and mild autism?
Yes, it really exists, but it’s more important to find out where your 6 year old is on the scale. Don’t think about the label, think about the treatment.
I agree with kunilou, from your (the parent’s) point of view, the treatment will be FAR more important than the label. “Asperger’s” can mean a lot of different things, all properly falling under that label. A proper diagnosis, however, can have a major impact on how the school system accommodates the needs of your son.
Still, better than just being called “slow” or “a weird kid”.
I worry more about kids who aren’t labelled early in life. With spectrum kids the sooner the problem is identified, and the sooner they begin treatment the better off they (usually) are.
Except, of course, that the urge to label kids early can result in MISlabeling, which can have a major impact on one’s later life. It can bar you from various forms of employment, military service, and things like earning a pilot’s license. Can you have a good life burdened with a lablel? Yes - but it can also be a limited life.
On the other hand, proper diagnosis can aid in making a person more functional. In the case of something like Asperger’s Syndrome, while there is no “cure”, if a child does legitimately have the disorder then you can approach the child’s weak areas with more knowledge. You might want to emphasize social skills, for instance, to mitigate some of the problems such children often have. There has been research done on the most effective ways to teach children with Aspeger’s. It might affect career choice - some people with Asperger’s have turned their obsessive tendencies into careers.
So… if your child does have the disorder the knowledge can be helpful even without drugs or a cure. On the other hand, if the child does not have then you have eliminated one explanation for the problem(s) at hand and may have to look elsewhere.
Parent of a 10yr old boy diagnosed with AS at 7 yrs here.
Two things I’d like to mention to you -
Firstly read, read, read as much reputable information as you can, be wary of bizarre and even dangerous websites who offer cures varying from telepathy to weird dietary interventions (not talking about GFCF here before anyone gets excited), go to the library and read books and journal articles. The more you know the less likely you will be to be taken in by the multitudes of self diagnosed “aspies” on the internet who espouse theories as widely and wildly varying as “all people with autism are descended from neanderthals” to “people with autism are the next step in evolution” Also there is a lot more to AS than the DSM IV criteria you often see published on webpages, in fact the DSM IV itself has considerably more information. In my opinion the more you understand what is going on with your child the more you are able to assist him/her.
Secondly, if your child gets a diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome s/he will be eligible for support in the education system for behavioural and academics if needed. I am not all that familiar with the US system but I understand that you have quite strong disability support in your schools. Aspergers is primarily a disorder of social functioning and communication, but there are many secondary issues involved as well, including sensory integration problems and auditory processing deficits. All these need to be identified during the diagnosis so the appropriate supports can be put in place for the child, both in the school and at home
As pointed out, there is a lot of misdiagnosis, but a correct diagnosis can provide a lot of answers for parents as well as open the door for disability services.
Thank you for your thoughts, everyone.
tremorviolet- the labeling was on my mind. I’m not entirely thrilled with being the known as the mom of the weird kid. On the other hand, I guess someone could earn that title, diagnosis or not.
kunilou and ratatoskk- he will be seeing a diagnositician, a speech and language pathologist, and some kind of therapist (I forgot what kind- it was a(n) xxx-therapist, psycho?) at the school. This seems sensible. I guess I should wait to see what they all have to say before I start stressing (ha).
El Scorpio- AAkkkk 
Elfin777 and Broomstick - I have the impression from the school that if they do decide on Asperger’s, or any other diagnosis, that they will have or develop a plan to help us. I had a nighmare that they just told me “Your kid is wierd” and sent us home.
Aulia- I DID see some of those sites on the WWW and it certainly didn’t help. I got “The Oasis Guide to Asperger Syndrome” from the library. I have heard the cliche about a book “speaking to someone” but had never experienced it. It feels wierd (is that the third time I’ve used that word?). Regarding diagnosis, who actually makes it? Maybe the xxx-therapist is a doctor?
My 7-year old son was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome by a pediatric psychiatrist about two years ago. The previous diagnosis was “sensory integration disorder” about a year before that (when he was 4).
We first became aware of problems in the private half-day preschool we put him in at 4 years old. My wife would go to pick him up, only to find him in the restroom with his hands over his ears. When asked what the problem was, he tearfully told my wife, “I just want them all to stop singing!” We came to find out that the idiotic “teachers” there would let him stay in the restroom for most of the morning. He also had a great deal of trouble in “circle time” and was just generally disruptive in class.
(We tried taking him to Kindermusik classes around the same time, which was even more of a disaster. Even with us there with him, he spent the whole class with his hands over his ears.)
After about two months in the private preschool, the school director recommended we have my son evaluated. We took him to numerous doctors, starting with his pediatrician, and found that the public school system would actually come to my son’s private pre-school to evaluate him for learning disorders. (As it was explained to me, the public school system is very interested in treatment of children even before they enter the public school system, under the philosophy that early treatment will help prevent larger problems down the road.)
Following a diagnosis of “sensory integration disorder,” the private preschool basically told us that our son would be better off somewhere else. We transferred my son to another preschool, recommended by the public school system, and which we were told that the state (Rhode Island) would pay for!
We then moved to Connecticut, where my son started Kindergarten. The public school system here arranged for an IEP (Individual Education Plan) and a full-time para-professional for my son from the beginning. He was (and is) in regular class (mainstreamed) for most of the school day. Just this morning, my wife and I met with the school personnel to discuss further scaling back the need for a para-professional. They say he is doing great.
As for medication, last year, when we first moved to Connecticut, my son had a particularly hard time with the transition. His psychiatrist insisted we try out one of the SSRI medications on my son. He took only one dose, and we had to practically peel him off of the ceiling. Thankfully things settled down in school, and nobody has suggested medication since.
BTW, I can’t finish this post without adding how bright my son is. He taught himself the alphabet (and numbers) at three years old from a puzzle. (He held up a puzzle piece, and wanted to know what it was called.) He could read by four, apparently picking up reading in the course of being read to at bedtime. He learned all the states and their capitals at five years old, (along with the Canadian provinces and their capitals) from a road atlas in the back seat of my car. He has a phenomenal memory. Unfortunately, he can get overly focused on such lists.
Now at 7 years old, in first grade, his teacher says he is “above grade level” in all subjects–not your typical child with a “learning disorder.” Our concern, however, was that he might fall behind in school when they started covering material to which he had not been previously exposed.
I personally have had a bit of a hard time with all of this. I feel that my son, since he was “labeled,” has been held to a higher standard for behavior than your typical exuberant 6- or 7-year old little boy. I’m aware of the social problems he’s had in the classroom, particularly when he first started school. However, I can’t help but think that he’s just like me. Thirty years ago, my mother apparently took me around to several doctors when I first started school after the school complained about my behavior. She was finally told by a doctor that she trusted that I was perfectly normal. Nevertheless, I’ve always had problems in my life in dealing with people socially.
Broomstick (or anybody else), do you really think this diagnosis might bar my son from “various forms of employment, military service, and things like earning a pilot’s license” later in life?
You know, even if this is true, I still think that we wouldn’t have done anything differently for my son (except for the medication). As he goes forward in life, he should be in better shape than he would have been with no intervention. And if he continues to make progress, as we expect, and ultimately is able to have all or most of the intervention phased out, I am hopeful that the “label” will fade in time.
Thanks, Robby. I enjoyed hearing about your son.
Mine had problems from the start, mostly stemming from an extremely premature birth, and saw a pediatric neurodevelopmentalist at ages one, two and three. He was doing well (“caught up”) at three, so I skipped four. He had early childhood intervention until three and a half. At 5, I had two different school districts evaluate him (we moved) and they both said he showed no problems and was on target, so I was surprised that at 6 he is such a stand-out suddenly. I guess I should have taken him back to the first guy instead.
I was aware that kids born as early as mine have a very high rate of problems, but somehow we seemed to have escaped all that. I was expecting (and hoping not to have) some kind of LD, but not anything autism-like.
The one part of the testing we did get back so far this year shows a high IQ, above grade level skills, and an impressive memory, like your child.
He doesn’t seem all that peculiar to me, but then I am used to him.
Alot of things you mentioned about your son are issues mine has or has had- moving, sounds, social, and an area or two of interest, some clothing things.
One subgroup (for want of a better word ) of kids diagnosed with AS don’t show any real signs of being different until they reach about 6 or 7; because AS is a developmental disorder that manifests as social and communication problems they blend in reasonably well with other kids until those skills become important. By 6 or 7 the other kids are becoming social butterflys, forming friendships etc, and the child with AS becomes painfully, obviously different. Looking back parents can usually identify subtle hints of that difference - sensory things, perhaps poor eye contact with strangers, and of course special interests.
My son is also highly gifted, accelerated in school (although being homeschooled this year because of his AS), your comments about appearing normal to you apply here as well. When I read the school disability reports I have problems believing we are talking about the same kid. (He also has a comorbid diagnosis of Sensory Integration Disorder.)
But then it was Tony Attwood who said that people with Aspergers Syndrome don’t have it when they get to stay home, and I am anticipating a positive year for my lad without all the stresses of attending school.
(BTW Attwood’s book is well worth reading, as is his website)
As far as who does the diagnosis - it depends where you are. I am in Australia, and my son was diagnosed by a team consisting of a paediatric psychiatrist, psychologists, with input from an OT. Developmental peadiatricians also diagnose here.
That makes alot of sense- Thanks.