ADD vs Asperger's

[mselly13]

I truly don't mean to be offensive to anyone. Please don't take this thread that way. But when my kids were younger it seemed like all the kids were being diagonosed ADD or ADHD. Now, all the kids are being diagonosed Asperger's. Is Asperger's the new ADD or ADHD?
I do have one child with many problems. I almost think if he was younger he would be diagonosed with Asperger's but who knows. His main thing is dsylexia which I had to fight for 5 years to get him tested and that was finally done when he was a sophmore at 17. He slipped through the cracks many times. His 4th grade teacher didn't even try to teach him his mulitplication tables. Didn't even try. We didn't realize it until the following year when the next two came home from 4th grade with these one minute tests. He never in his entire school career did a book report or project. Not once. His next biggest problem was that he had no common sense. But the only labels they actually ever gave him were "Learning disabled".
We live in one area code and most family live within 30 minutes of us but with a different area code. We could never get him to learn our area code. He kept thinking we had theirs. He also had trouble learning our address. He could get the house number or the street number but not both. He never uses puncutation. He starts writing and that's it. It's all one big sentence. I used to get so frustruated. Why would English teachers put up with this? But he wouldn't have graduated if they hadn't. But any other child would have been made to redo papers like his.
Back to topic. Why are so many kids these days diagonosed Asperger's vs ADD or ADHD?

 

[GraysMom]

That's a good question. My one friend's son has Asberger's, and he has many quirks that stick out to me as a teacher. I told DH when my DF's son was 1 yo that he had Asberger's, but his parents were in denial and it took them almost 2 more years to get him tested and into therapy. Anyway, there is definitely a quirkiness there with autism, that isn't present with ADD/ADHD (unless the child has both issues). As for why the switch in prevalence? I have no idea.

 

[Mayl]

Honestly I just don't know anymore. My kids are 9 and 8 and between sports and other stuff they have about 15 kids that they are "close" to.

Wife is very active in doing stuff with other families and we talk about it. I am not lying when I say 12 of the kids have something "wrong" with them. Don't take offense to the word "wrong" but there is something that someone claims needs to be medicated in all those kids.

I just don't get it, I really don't. Maybe by grace of God, luck or something, my kids are just normal. Sure they can get the dull look of a dairy cow if pokeman comes on, but hell that is normal. I was like that for Thundercats!

Is it all valid conditions? Again can not claim to know all the kids. But I have seen some of the kids over years. Before and after and don't see an ounce of difference. Don't live with them, so of course can not be 100% sure.

It just seems so overdone now.

 

[Holly]

I truly don't mean to be offensive to anyone. Please don't take this thread that way. But when my kids were younger it seemed like all the kids were being diagonosed ADD or ADHD. Now, all the kids are being diagonosed Asperger's. Is Asperger's the new ADD or ADHD?
I do have one child with many problems. I almost think if he was younger he would be diagonosed with Asperger's but who knows. His main thing is dsylexia which I had to fight for 5 years to get him tested and that was finally done when he was a sophmore at 17. He slipped through the cracks many times. His 4th grade teacher didn't even try to teach him his mulitplication tables. Didn't even try. We didn't realize it until the following year when the next two came home from 4th grade with these one minute tests. He never in his entire school career did a book report or project. Not once. His next biggest problem was that he had no common sense. But the only labels they actually ever gave him were "Learning disabled".
We live in one area code and most family live within 30 minutes of us but with a different area code. We could never get him to learn our area code. He kept thinking we had theirs. He also had trouble learning our address. He could get the house number or the street number but not both. He never uses puncutation. He starts writing and that's it. It's all one big sentence. I used to get so frustruated. Why would English teachers put up with this? But he wouldn't have graduated if they hadn't. But any other child would have been made to redo papers like his.
Back to topic. Why are so many kids these days diagonosed Asperger's vs ADD or ADHD?

They're very different disorders.

I had a difficult time understanding your post but the symptoms that you listed aren't typical to Asperger's. A marker for the disorder is high cognitive function, and in many cases any type of cognitive delay will rule out a diagnosis of Asperger's.

Asperger's is on the autism spectrum and the rate of diagnosis of autism is alarming, however, Asperger's disorder is unlikely to be incorrectly diagnosed.

 

[creativeamanda]

The testing of autism and aspergers is a lot more indepth than ADD/ADHD. I can assure you that if a kid is diagnosed with aspergers, they are more likely to be correctly diagnosed than if they are diagnosed with ADHD.

 

[ZuZugal]

Asperger's seems to have come into light much more in the last decade (or for many just the last few years.) If it is not on the radar for teachers/doctors then it is not used as a diagnosis. I know the rate at which children are diagnosed with some form of autism has skyrocketed; one reason being that these diagnosis were not made 15/20/30 years ago. (the children were labeled as slow/special/retareded, etc.)

I think the medical community is also taking a longer and harder look at environmental causes for both autism and ADD. I think that is a much better starting point than finding cause with vaccinations.

 

[polineedyan]

The best diagnoses come from those qualified to diagnose. SO..I would definitely have him tested if there are concerns. The L.D. vs other diagnoses probably comes from the school tests ( I could be wrong.) The school cannot tell you that your child has add or anything else. All they can do is say he is l.d. Why? I dont know. Maybe because theyre teachers and not physicians. Even school psychologists wont necessarily diagnose. They make recommendations. That is what I was told regarding MY son. I finally got it thru my head that the school was not the doctor's office. And YES, they WILL just push him thru. Heck, my kid is 15 and has a tutor help him with his tests and homework EVERY DAY. Do I think he needs it? Maybe. WOULD he need it if he did the work here?? No..will he bring his work home? NO. Am I a licensed teacher? YES..Will he complete his tests without the tutor's help? NO. Why? Not real sure. Gives up I guess. Is that add? NO. Can I punish it out of him? NO.
There are a lot of gimmicks that kids learn when 'learning to deal' with their disabilities (if you will..)
Some of it is just plain old immaturity. just my two cents. Go to a reputable psychologist (or better psychiatrist) if you have concerns.
They cant hit ya! (lol)

 

[Holly]

The best diagnoses come from those qualified to diagnose. SO..I would definitely have him tested if there are concerns. The L.D. vs other diagnoses probably comes from the school tests ( I could be wrong.) The school cannot tell you that your child has add or anything else. All they can do is say he is l.d. Why? I dont know. but that is what I was told regarding MY son.
There are a lot of gimmicks that kids learn when 'learning to deal' with their disabilities (if you will..)
Some of it is just plain old immaturity. just my two cents. Go to a reputable psychologist (or better psychiatrist) if you have concerns.
They cant hit ya! (lol)

I definitely agree with this. It's clear from your post that you aren't happy with the education your son is getting in his school.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I'm afraid I don't know much about it, but I do know that my nephew, diagnosed with ADHD at age 5, was rediagnosed later as having Aspergers, which is a high-functioning form of Autism.

He and other boys I know who have been diagnosed with Aspergers are very bright, but seem slow to develop socially. They are easily upset by unexpected occurrences, and crave routines: For example, having meals at the exact same time every day, knowing beforehand what the meal is (even eating the same thing every day), doing exactly the same activities leading up to and after the meal, etc.

I wonder, too, about kids being mislabeled. I met a mom whose son was on my son's soccer team a couple of years ago. Back then he had trouble focusing and following directions, and was often very distracted and distracting to the other kids. Today (at age 8) he is much calmer and able to focus. His mom said he'd had his tonsils and adenoids removed due to sleep apnea and breathing problems, and a side effect of that was a dramatic change in his behavior. The doctor thinks all this time the boy just wasn't getting enough REM sleep due to the sleep apnea!

As more studies of these kinds of disorders are done, I think the more pinpoint the diagnoses will become, and hopefully the kids will get the appropriate help they need.

 

[KirstenB]

Aspergers and autism are such complex disorders, I can only offer my opinion. BTW, our youngest who is nearly 3 was diagnosed with autism (not severe thank God!) last year. Our older dd is 10. There are huge differences between the two girls.

Probably the easiest difference to point out is our dd with autism is drawn more to "things" than people. For instance, at our local pool, last year I spent 6 mths following her around, while she examined every gate latch and square inch of fencing. I'm sorry, but normal toddler behavior would have been more like she sees a kid with a great toy, then takes that kid's toy! Our older dd does swim team, so we were there several days a week. Each time, I'd let Zoe look at teh fence for a few minutes, then pick her up and bring her to where other kids were swimming, and playing with toys. I've gradually got her to where she'll be near other children, and very occasionally will respond to another child. However, the other child always has to initiate the contact.

Back to your question about the prevalence of Asperger's/autism. I've read that in the past, a lot more children were dx'd with mental retardation than they are now. Some people theorize that because kids with autism, by definition have a hard time with interaction, were often misdiagnosed with cognitive delays (or mental retardation) because they couldn't interact when given a typical IQ test. I know when our dd was tested for special ed preschool, some of the testing was inconclusive, because it involved interaction, and she couldn't cooperate.

Another theory is that autism is triggered by some environmental exposure either in the womb or after birth. I'd guess our environment isn't getting any better, so there may be some plausibility there.

Also, doctors seem to be getting better at recognizing specific disorders in kids, instead of just calling them "slow". That would definitely lead to a spike in the numbers of people diagnosed. Maybe there aren't more people with autism, but rather doctors are getting better at recognizing the unique traits that go with the disorder.

Finally if you're interested in finding out more about autism and Asperger's, go to Autismspeaks.org. They have videos of kids with autism, "red flags" so to speak, to look for in children.

 

[missypie]

Think of communication and social skills as a rainbow or half circle. One on end is the severely autistic person who will never talk or make eye contact. On the other end is the most socially competent person you know. We are all somewhere on the half circle. Whether you call Asperger's a disorder, or just a personality type, professionals have placed a ticker at that point and have called it abnormal or not typical; it is at that point (diagnosed as Asperger's) that lack of communication and social skills can cause problems with education and employment....that is why they qualify for special ed services.

It's very similar to IQ....if you draw the half circle and at one end are the people who will never communicate or feed themselves and at the other end are Einstein and Mozart, the rest of us are somewhere in between. At some point below "average", students qualify for special ed services because their lack of intellence can cause problems with education and employment.

You could do the same thing with vision and hearing. Just a different set of traits that can cause issues. Since Asperger's is such a new diagnosis, there are lots of undiagnosed adults out there. We can all probably name a few that we know personally. Some are successful and others are chronically unemployed, alone and depressed. Perhaps the second group would benefit from a diagnosis.

These people have always been around. If you watch old movies, they are a stock character..the dork with no social skills, the absent minded professor who reads a book while crossing the street and almost gets run over, etc., etc. It's just that now there is a name for it.

 

[freckles and boo]

I have a child with both autism and ADHD. It happens. She has been medically diagnosed by a pediatric neurologist (and a psychologist) and it was NOT a quick process. We suspected autism early on but we assumed the hyperactivity and the impulsiveness were characteristics of autism. We didn't know these conditions sometimes exist "co-morbidly". Had we not addressed both problems with medication and therapy she might still be completely echolalic. She is now heading into first grade academically on par and able to stand in line, take her turn, wait for the teacher, answer questions, etc. I am really proud of her. But none of those things would have been possible if we hadn't "shoved pills down her throat" so her brain would slow down long enough to learn.

 

[polineedyan]

Think of communication and social skills as a rainbow or half circle. One on end is the severely autistic person who will never talk or make eye contact. On the other end is the most socially competent person you know. We are all somewhere on the half circle. Whether you call Asperger's a disorder, or just a personality type, professionals have placed a ticker at that point and have called it abnormal or not typical; it is at that point (diagnosed as Asperger's) that lack of communication and social skills can cause problems with education and employment....that is why they qualify for special ed services.

It's very similar to IQ....if you draw the half circle and at one end are the people who will never communicate or feed themselves and at the other end are Einstein and Mozart, the rest of us are somewhere in between. At some point below "average", students qualify for special ed services because their lack of intellence can cause problems with education and employment.

You could do the same thing with vision and hearing. Just a different set of traits that can cause issues. Since Asperger's is such a new diagnosis, there are lots of undiagnosed adults out there. We can all probably name a few that we know personally. Some are successful and others are chronically unemployed, alone and depressed. Perhaps the second group would benefit from a diagnosis.

These people have always been around. If you watch old movies, they are a stock character..the dork with no social skills, the absent minded professor who reads a book while crossing the street and almost gets run over, etc., etc. It's just that now there is a name for it.

Very true. It IS a spectrum. In my earlier years, kids with AUTISM were really, really, really, distant. I mean, it was very clear to me. Nowadays, you dont have to be that 'bad' to be called autistic. Dunno.
What I DO know, is that the visit to the psych is as much for the parent as the child. Its learning how to MOVE FORWARD that is critical. Never mind what 'it' is called. Learning how to help your child and yourself is the critical thing here..

 

[KirstenB]

I have a child with both autism and ADHD. It happens. She has been medically diagnosed by a pediatric neurologist (and a psychologist) and it was NOT a quick process. We suspected autism early on but we assumed the hyperactivity and the impulsiveness were characteristics of autism. We didn't know these conditions sometimes exist "co-morbidly". Had we not addressed both problems with medication and therapy she might still be completely echolalic. She is now heading into first grade academically on par and able to stand in line, take her turn, wait for the teacher, answer questions, etc. I am really proud of her. But none of those things would have been possible if we hadn't "shoved pills down her throat" so her brain would slow down long enough to learn.

Do you mind if I ask you how old your dd was when the ADHD was dx'd? Our dd, Zoe's attention span is ridiculously short, and I was kind of joking with her speech therapist the other day. Afterward, I thought about it, and wondered if she has ADHD along with autism. I hope I'm not prying, but this has really been on my mind.

 

[fourdaughters]

My Nephew was diagnosed with Asperger's by his Neurologist. He is 10 year's old and for many year's was thought to be PDD/not otherwise specified. He was in an orphanage in Russia for the first 10 months of his life, so it is hard for my sister to know exactly what went on with his care during that time. He is brilliant in math and science, but his social skills are so lacking, that he has a very hard time "fitting in" and making friends. If anyone likes to watch movies, there is a very good movie called" Mozart and the Whale" which deals with Asperger's, Autism, etc. It's a very sweet love story and the girl in the movie has Asperger's and the actress plays it very well.(forget who she is though) I too always wonder why there are so many children of this generation affected by these disorders.

 

[freckles and boo]

Do you mind if I ask you how old your dd was when the ADHD was dx'd? Our dd, Zoe's attention span is ridiculously short, and I was kind of joking with her speech therapist the other day. Afterward, I thought about it, and wondered if she has ADHD along with autism. I hope I'm not prying, but this has really been on my mind.

Not prying at all. Shannon was diagnosed with the ADHD at the beginning of her kindergarten year, about ten months ago. She had spent two years in special ed preschool and was never able to sit still or attend for more than a minute at a time. She had a difficult time meeting some of her IEP goals because they were things like "attend to task X for 2 minutes" etc. She required a para next to her at all times so she could be redirected. There were other autistic children in the class but none of them seemed to be as "bouncy" as she was. At the time I chalked it up to sensory issues (and she does have plenty of those ). Even with a weighted vest she was impulsive and almost always on the move. My greatest fear was always her safety because she would just bolt without warning. She nearly was hit by a car in front of our house because I chatted with a neighbor a moment too long. I always had to have a death grip on her. At her IEP meeting we were gently nudged by the team to take her back to the neurologist for further evaluation. Thankfully we listened and did it. I don't think that most doctors will diagnose very young children but I would certainly look into how ADHD and autism work together if you are concerned. I had no idea three years ago.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

They're very different disorders.

I had a difficult time understanding your post but the symptoms that you listed aren't typical to Asperger's. A marker for the disorder is high cognitive function, and in many cases any type of cognitive delay will rule out a diagnosis of Asperger's.

Asperger's is on the autism spectrum and the rate of diagnosis of autism is alarming, however, Asperger's disorder is unlikely to be incorrectly diagnosed.

Add and Adhd can also be co-comminant with Aspergers also. Kids can have multiple disabilities. I had a hard time understanding the op also.

I know in the past I had read many articles which labled ADD the "desingner diagnosis" because with that diagnosis kids could get accomodations on testing and in particular SAT(untimed etc).

 

[KirstenB]

Thanks Freckles and Boo!! I just pulled Zoe's IEP for next year, and one goal is she'll be able to "attend to an age appropriate activity for up to 5 minutes". I can remember cringing at that one, hoping her teachers will discover a way to lengthen her attention span. She won't sit still in my lap while I try to read her an 8 page board book, so I do worry. On the plus side, if I ignore the story in the book, and just make up questions based on the pictures, she'll interact then, and sometimes I can get a minute or 2 out of her.

I'm sorry by the way, you had to have such a scary incident happen. But I'm so happy for you that she's come such a long way. I'm proud of her, just hearing you describe how she can wait her turn, in line, etc. What a huge difference you've seen.

 

[freckles and boo]

Thanks Freckles and Boo!! I just pulled Zoe's IEP for next year, and one goal is she'll be able to "attend to an age appropriate activity for up to 5 minutes". I can remember cringing at that one, hoping her teachers will discover a way to lengthen her attention span. She won't sit still in my lap while I try to read her an 8 page board book, so I do worry. On the plus side, if I ignore the story in the book, and just make up questions based on the pictures, she'll interact then, and sometimes I can get a minute or 2 out of her.

I'm sorry by the way, you had to have such a scary incident happen. But I'm so happy for you that she's come such a long way. I'm proud of her, just hearing you describe how she can wait her turn, in line, etc. What a huge difference you've seen.

Aw, thanks! I am sure with such a caring and aware mom that Zoe will do great, too!

 

[Pembo]

Asperger's Syndrome is a a recently defined diagnosis in the DSM IV, 1992 I believe. There have always been persons with the characteristics and research was begun in the 40's by Hans Asperger.

Is it the new diagnosis??? I would say yes BECAUSE it is now a defined diagnosis and there are many wonderful people who are researching and working with persons with Asperger's Syndrome every day. Can a person live with Asperger's and never have a diagnosis? Sure. Does the diagnosis explain ALOT of behaviors? Absolutely. Is it an epidemic? No. It is just more recognizable.