Could this be autism?

[my4kids]

My friend has a child who is in first grade at a regular private school. I don't know how he does in school, but according to her he is "fine". He is on my sons soccer team and HATES going. Kick and screams and they him there (I know it sounds sad, but she feels that he has to do some sort of physical activity) She thinks he hates it because he is just not an athletic kid (which would be normal) but when he is on the field he in in his own world and running in circles flapping his arms. When he comes off the field, he seems normal, and has normal speech, but makes very little eye contact and is overly shy, and looks away. She laughs and point at him on the field and says "oh, he is so ADD" She just chaulks it up to that. I don't know much about autism or the defferent degrees of it, but if it were my child, I would be thinking mild autism. Is that possible?

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

I would never want to 'diagnose' a child, but there are some aspects of what you describe that would be considered autistic-like behaviors. Asperger's Syndrome is also a possibility.

I work in the public schools and have seen children who I am pretty sure would have a diagnosis if seen at a developmental center, but the parents don't see it (or want to see it) because for the most part the child is functioning in the classroom even though they have some difficulties with academics or socialization.

 

[cymomtx]

I would go either direction with what you are describing. On a soccer field an add child will become very bored if not engaged constantly. We found Tae Kwon Do to be exactly what out ADD/AS DS needed. He is testing today for his 3rd degree black belt!!

 

[jodifla]

I would never want to 'diagnose' a child, but there are some aspects of what you describe that would be considered autistic-like behaviors. Asperger's Syndrome is also a possibility.

I work in the public schools and have seen children who I am pretty sure would have a diagnosis if seen at a developmental center, but the parents don't see it (or want to see it) because for the most part the child is functioning in the classroom even though they have some difficulties with academics or socialization.

If the child is functioning well, what's the point of a label that will only drag them down the rest of their life?

That's the problem today...a few symptoms, and everybody wants to label a kid.

I had a lot of autistic symptoms when I was young. Luckily, no one ever went down that path and tried to wreck my life with an incorrect label.

 

[KirstenB]

If the child is functioning well, what's the point of a label that will only drag them down the rest of their life?

That's the problem today...a few symptoms, and everybody wants to label a kid.

I had a lot of autistic symptoms when I was young. Luckily, no one ever went down that path and tried to wreck my life with an incorrect label.

The person you quoted did not say the child was "functioning well". She said they had difficulties in the classroom or in socialization. If there was a way to work with a child and make these things better, why on earth wouldn't you?! Not everyone sees a label as a stigma, sorry you do.

 

[jodifla]

The person you quoted did not say the child was "functioning well". She said they had difficulties in the classroom or in socialization. If there was a way to work with a child and make these things better, why on earth wouldn't you?! Not everyone sees a label as a stigma, sorry you do.

It takes hours and hours of assessments BY A PROFESSIONAL to diagnose autism. Lots of people have trouble in school or with socialization; they don't fit the autism diagnosis, which requires SEVERE impairment, not mild or even moderate.

Kids should always get help with their difficulties. Throwing around labels like autism because they are in fashion doesn't help.

 

[daisyduck123]

I think it's sad that she just laughs it off, commenting that he is so ADD.....I feel for the kid's teacher if that's all that mom does about it. He probably needs to be evaluated by a professional, but the sad thing is - there are so many parents out there like her.

 

[my4kids]

It takes hours and hours of assessments BY A PROFESSIONAL to diagnose autism. Lots of people have trouble in school or with socialization; they don't fit the autism diagnosis, which requires SEVERE impairment, not mild or even moderate.

Kids should always get help with their difficulties. Throwing around labels like autism because they are in fashion doesn't help.

Autism is NOT a "label that is in fashion" - it is an epidemic. Early intervention is a priority. I don't think anyone would want to quickly label a child, but quickly act to help a child reach their full potential, whatever that may be.

 

[scraptoons]

I have to agree with others. We can't diagnose a child in cyber space.

I do however, know a few people with asperger's. They seem normal at first. Then you start to notice some things are not quite right.
You think that their parents totally did not discipline them at all.

They all have different degrees. It is a form of autism. All very intelligent.
Their brains just can't process basic social skills.

One is like Eddie Haskell on Leave it to Beaver. Good looking and charming, but always getting himself in trouble because he lacks a few skills in the social department. He doesn't understand why people have a problem with what he said/did. He didn't do anything wrong.

One is just.....really weird. She comes across as a social retard for sure. Farting away loudly and stinkly while conversing with you. When confronted, she says, "But why? It's a perfectly natural thing!"

One boy comes across totally extremely downright rude and self centered. He doesn't understand social hierachy at all. He will treat a three year old and a 65 year old with the same rude argumentive treatment.
You want to slap him. And he doesn't understand why. He will throw a big temper tantrum in the middle of a church service if provoked.

There you are....three levels of asperger's syndrome. Two are siblings.

 

[momto1disneyfan]

I would not label a child by what you see or even what a teacher see's or says. I am speaking from experience. My DS is know 14 and has had problems since he was born with what we thougth was a hearing problem. When he was 2 they told us he was 70% deaf and put tubs in both ears. This did help. He never spoke till after he had tubes put in. After a year the tubes fell out and the problem came back again. We took him back to the Dr and he told us things were fine however the problems was still occuring. We know our son couldnt concentrate and had problems hearing and had problems in school. In grade one his teacher suggested we get him tested for ADD. We didnt feel that was the problem but we got him tested. The Dr ruled it out. We Still had the same problems and the teachers work with him and he was maintaining a B average. Until grade 4. The teacher told us our son was ADD. I told her we was tested. She didnt beleive us and told us we either medicate our son or she will not help him. We had him reteste. She was still not satisfied, she wanted him on medication, we refused and to bacsically gave up on him and made his year basically the worst ever his grades fell to a C/D average. Yes we countiued to get our son tested for different things over the years. We still had the same problems with him at home and school some times were good others were really bad. He even started having problems with his friends at time. We talked to his friends and explained that he had a hearing problem. They understood. Then finally when he was 13. This past January they finally figured out he is epileptic and when he has a spell it knocks out his hearing, he knows you are there but can hear what you are saying. So he misses a lot of things the teacher was saying so he would play around becuse he didnt know what to do. Thankfully our son is know growing out of it and we can know let his teachers and other parents know what the problem it if he seems different or behavies differently. So please never think you know what is wrong with a child. The parent might have had them tested. Parents assume they dont because the problem still occurs. It took us 11 years before they finally gave us any answers.

 

[my4kids]

I would not label a child by what you see or even what a teacher see's or says. I am speaking from experience. My DS is know 14 and has had problems since he was born with what we thougth was a hearing problem. When he was 2 they told us he was 70% deaf and put tubs in both ears. This did help. He never spoke till after he had tubes put in. After a year the tubes fell out and the problem came back again. We took him back to the Dr and he told us things were fine however the problems was still occuring. We know our son couldnt concentrate and had problems hearing and had problems in school. In grade one his teacher suggested we get him tested for ADD. We didnt feel that was the problem but we got him tested. The Dr ruled it out. We Still had the same problems and the teachers work with him and he was maintaining a B average. Until grade 4. The teacher told us our son was ADD. I told her we was tested. She didnt beleive us and told us we either medicate our son or she will not help him. We had him reteste. She was still not satisfied, she wanted him on medication, we refused and to bacsically gave up on him and made his year basically the worst ever his grades fell to a C/D average. Yes we countiued to get our son tested for different things over the years. We still had the same problems with him at home and school some times were good others were really bad. He even started having problems with his friends at time. We talked to his friends and explained that he had a hearing problem. They understood. Then finally when he was 13. This past January they finally figured out he is epileptic and when he has a spell it knocks out his hearing, he knows you are there but can hear what you are saying. So he misses a lot of things the teacher was saying so he would play around becuse he didnt know what to do. Thankfully our son is know growing out of it and we can know let his teachers and other parents know what the problem it if he seems different or behavies differently. So please never think you know what is wrong with a child. The parent might have had them tested. Parents assume they dont because the problem still occurs. It took us 11 years before they finally gave us any answers.

I'm glad your son is doing better. I would never assume to know what is wrong . Like I said, I am definately not an expert, just a parent. I guess I just posed the ? to see what others thought. It is the flapping his arms and hands and running in circles looking at the ground for tiring amounts of time that made me wonder if it might be a sign. I can't say anything to the mother, because it really is not my business or expertise, and if I'm way off base, she would probably be angry. As an ADD myself, I think that even most ADD kids would have a "heads up" moment once in a while and realize there was a game going on.

 

[disneygal66]

My DS is 6 and does similar things; he is autistic. However, the behaviors you describe do fit into the diagnosis for some kind of ASD. I think he sounds more autistic than ADD. My older son is ADHD and he had some very odd behaviors when he was 7 (now he's 11) so it is very hard to tell. I might make a suggestion (very gently) to have him tested in general but that is such a hard thing to hear that your friend may get very angry. On the other hand, she may thank you later. We all want our kids to be perfect and "typical' but sometimes they are special in different ways. But the sooner a diagnosis is made and treatment begins, the better. I hope this helps!!! Good Luck!!

 

[momto1disneyfan]

I didnt post this to tell people not to get involved. It was to let people know that some parents are trying to figure out what cause there kids to behave the way they do and some people have made rude comments to us about the way our child behaves and unfortunately we actually couldnt give them an honest answer because the DR's didnt know either. To us I was glad our son's grade one teacher did bring up the question of getting our son tested for ADD and I would encourage you to bring it up to the mother. She might have never thought about getting him tested. My husband and I had never had. Parents of our son friends would give us some suggestions or let us know what they see. We followed up on all other them and I am glad we did because we finally got an answer. Try and give her some positive suggestion she might just follow up on them. She's glad to have a friend like you that really cares.

 

[jodifla]

Autism is NOT a "label that is in fashion" - it is an epidemic. Early intervention is a priority. I don't think anyone would want to quickly label a child, but quickly act to help a child reach their full potential, whatever that may be.

I'm a member of a late talker's board on yahoo, and unfortunately, tons of kids are misdiagnosed these days.

Many children on that board were labeled as autistic, sending their parents into a tailspin. After lots more speech therapy, the symptoms and the label disappeared.

Most likely, they were never autistic to begin with.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

I'm a member of a late talker's board on yahoo, and unfortunately, tons of kids are misdiagnosed these days.

Many children on that board were labeled as autistic, sending their parents into a tailspin. After lots more speech therapy, the symptoms and the label disappeared.

Most likely, they were never autistic to begin with.

or the therapy taught the children to adapt .....autistic or not. It is offensive that you see autism as a fashionable lable. While my son is not autistic he is "labled" multiply disabled and it is ignorant to think the lable drags the kid down. It allows the education system to give help when needed.
Early intervention is key and while there are late talkers out there, there are many children where late talking is a sign of a significant disorder. Thinking of a lable as negative robs many children of services because people fear it somehow harms their child while the lable is there to help get the child the appropriate services they need. It is much better to treat early. Many children fall through the cracks because doctors and parents thought they would "catch up". Doctors have told me that and my son stroked having lost 2/3rds of his brain in utero. Would it have been easier to listen to everyone tell me that and stay in a denial bubble? yep. Thankfully the lable gets him eveything he needs. I in no way see a label as a negative. It is a tool to help my son.
Fortunately autism is caught earlier now and that is why it seems to be more prevelant. Due to diligent parents and doctors kids are getting treatment that they need.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

It is unfortunate that we have some people, whether they be parents, educators, doctors or others who will either ignore what they see, or see something where nothing exists.

Having a "label" can have both good and bad points. If somone is given an undeserved label it can work to bring them down. However, if someone is not given a label they deserve then they may not be able to receive needed assistance.

Please remember that people posting here tend to be asking for assistance with problems, whether real or perceived, but in the minds of the questioners they are definitely real. Responses should be in the nature of being helpful and working to point people in the right direction if no direct assistance can be given.

And remember also, we are not mental health professionals with a patient, and the patient's records, in front of us and should not be making judgements about anyone's actions.

 

[hookedup]

In an effort to help my child I have learned a lot about the ADD/Autism/Sensory Processing connections.

My child has gone through hours of assessments. One thing that I have learned is that in order to be diagnosed as in the Autism Spectrum (including Aspergers) there are very specific criteria that have to be met. If a child does not have the proper "symptoms" as described in the DSM the child will not be medically diagnosed by physician.

A child who is flapping and showing signs of motor overload or other behaviors that are often associated with Autism can be ADD or SID or "on the Spectrum" or none of the above.

All of these conditions have overlapping symptoms, including social problems. Although I am a fan of early diagnosis I know a lot of parents who feel strongly about not trying to label their kids. There are sooooo many good books on this subject. If you want to buy your friend one that would be a nice thing to do - as long as you know the person well enough to do so without offending her.

As a mom of a very "Quirky Kid" I know what it's like to have a child that does not fit the mold of a "regular" kid, but also does not quite fit the mold of a diagnosed Spectrum condition. It is an elusive and frustrating challenge to help your child who falls through the cracks. For a parent who does not want to (or does not know to) it is almost impossible to find answers easily.

Sorry this was so long but I could write a book on the subject!!!

 

[SandrainNC]

One is just.....really weird. She comes across as a social retard for sure. Farting away loudly and stinkly while conversing with you. When confronted, she says, "But why? It's a perfectly natural thing!"

I'm sorry, but this is just totally rude. If you want to give examples, can you please say things a little nicer. I don't particular care for one of the words that you used in this sentence. It is wrong and hurtful.

Sandra

 

[SueM in MN]

To quote Thumper (from the Bambi movie), who said his mom said, "If you can't say nothin' nice, don't say nothin' at all."

I don't like having to remind people to play nice, but if you don't, I will have to put on my benevolent dictator hat and close this thread.

It is not nice to be calling people names. I am leaving in the offensive words that one poster wrote, because the words may help others to form an opinion about what else was said.

One is like Eddie Haskell on Leave it to Beaver. Good looking and charming, but always getting himself in trouble because he lacks a few skills in the social department. He doesn't understand why people have a problem with what he said/did. He didn't do anything wrong.

Eddie Haskell on Leave it to Beaver was a classic Sociopath.
He was depicted in the show as being smooth, manipulative and knowing exactly what he was doing. He purposely turned on the charm for people like Mrs. Clever, teachers, etc and then turned it off for other people (like Beaver). He also used language and double meanings of words to manipulate or trick people like Beaver and his friends; something that a person with Asperger's tend to have much difficulty with since many people with Asperger's understand words very literally and have difficulty with words that have more than one meaning. Eddie would say he didn't do anything wrong because he didn't think it was wrong to lie and manipulate, not because he didn't understand.

As was already mentioned by many posters, there is often overlap between different syndromes. Sometimes, at one age, a child will appear to fit a particular syndrome, but as they get older, they may 'grow out of it' or fit another syndrome better. I have read that many kids with a diagnosis of Aspergers were first diagnosed as having ADD. As they matured, the ADD diagnosis didn't seem to fit as well and they were re-diagnosed. Being rude is not part of the diagnosis.

And, as was also already mentioned, there are specific diagnostic criteria - lists of signs and symptoms that might indicate each diagnosis. In order to be "tagged" with that diagnosis, the patient has to show at least a minimum number of signs and symptoms. The more they show, the more likely the diagnosis is correct. Most Psychologists and Psychiatrists take diagnosis very seriously, but it's not an exact science; it's not like they can take an xray of the head and see ASD or ADD in the same way that you can see a broken bone.

 

[pokemon_master]

I'm a first time poster here (Hi! ), and having AS I can sympathise with your Friend's DS. I hated any sport of any kind when I was younger (and still do unfortunately), and if I was forced I think I can remember doing weird movements as well; I'd normally just sit along the sidelines and daydrem or something like that I think (Not entirely sure on that one; my poor memory!).

I can't really make a diagnosis myself here, but what I would recommend is actually trying to find a sport he may like. There are many out there and it may do him good if he can find a sport with people who like it as well, and it could get him really into doing that sport.

I think though, your friend shouldn't really put much thought into it unless symptoms develop later on in life. It may just be a fad and could grow out of it later on..