What do you know about Aspergers?

[Pembo]

I need to know anything and everything........

 

[bookgirl]

I need to know anything and everything........

There are lots of great websites. AutismNow, AutismSpeaks. Just do a web search.


Also go check out the disabilities thread, I know there are tons of moms on that board that have kids on the spectrum.

Every child is different and will be unique even with the same medical diagnosis. So get informed but don't take everything you read as law.

 

[LakeAriel]

I need to know anything and everything........

Aspergers is on the autism spectrum, or under the "umbrella." I recently started a thread about a book written by a man afflicted, I'll look for it again. Most common in males, those afflicted are very bright but suffer social disabilty. I taught an eighth grader who had asperger's. His behavior was very inappropriate but with guidance and much monitoring he went onto college (graphic arts) and is doing well. He was very artistic. It was thought his Dad, an Attorney, also had it, as did two of his brothers. Good luck with whatever you may be going through. Remember there are different degrees of disabilty and many resources available.

 

[LakeAriel]

Look me in the Eye: My life with Asperger's

http://www.amazon.com/Look-Me-Eye-L...8114323?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192644435&sr=1-1

 

[worm761]

my DS11 has aspergers. a great place to start looking would be www.aspergers.com or www.maapservices.org and www.aspergerssyndrome.org

good luck with your search. any questions just ask. also look at the DISabilities community room. there are lots of threads about autims and aspergers.

 

[R.S.Winters]

i work with children with it and my 15 yr old brother quite seriously has it - if u want to pm me you can.

D.

 

[freckles and boo]

Some general characteristics... (not all will apply to all kids)

Sensory issues - things sound too loud, feel too scratchy, smell too strong, look too bright

Precocious early speech - children talk early and often find topics of interest (obsession) very early.

Obsessive interests - it could be dinosaurs or fire trucks or rocks or anything. The child will want to talk about the topic constantly and often doesn't realize when others have lost interest

Social awkwardness - kids with Asperger's almost always are socially awkward and need help with social cues. Therapy can really help. They usually have great trouble with eye contact.

A need for predictability - the child might need to be able to understand and anticipate what will happen next. Visual schedules are used to lay out the day so the kids aren't caught off-guard which can lead to melt-downs or frustrations.

There is a lot of info out there. CAN, Autism Speaks, etc. are great places to start.

 

[Lisa_M]

Read The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome by Tony Attwood. Excellent book, comprehensive and well written by who I consider to be an expert on the topic.

 

[hoosll]

I recommend the books of Temple Grandin

Thinking in Pictures

or

The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism

Her books really help you to understand the different perspective of people on the autism spectrum.

 

[Pembo]

Ds is 11 and up to today ADHD. A new doc has suggested Asperger's. I'm in all new territory. Keep those resources coming, I'm placing holds on books at the library........

 

[Lachesis00]

It isn't the end of the world! (I mean that in a good way!)

My 16yo is undiagnoised (he has been said by 2 doctors plus a teacher who is specialized in it but never formally tested) is said to be high fuctioning. I tried to get him tested at 12 and 15 and was told he was too old AND any services he might get for aspberger's, he already was getting, so what was the point

My girlfriend has an 8 year old and was told he was too young to diagnoise... so I wonder what the magic age is.

Big issues for us are OCD and anxiety both social and general. SO bad he didn't attend school for 3 years, he was homebound. I am proud to say he is in a small hometown school and doing awesome!
He doesn't like to be out of his personal space (safe places) or around a LOT of people he doesn't know. He is social IF he knows them.

When he was little he had texture problems, no socks, no jeans, no tags, no seams (he'd chew them off of his shirt, drove us nuts). He wouldn't eat and still won't eat foods b/c of the texture in his mouth. NO raw tomatoes but he will eat stuff with tomato sauce... as long as it is pureed. Same as eggs...

He is extremely bright but learns differently then most. I can't explain it. He is being tested soon to see exactly how he processes and learns.

 

[JunieJay]

The tendency to fixate on one particular topic, and problems adjusting socially are two of the hallmarks of Aspergers. It can be very similar to ADHD in other ways. I'd look most at your son's social skills - does he fit in well with other kids? If not, you might look further into Aspergers.

 

[beckanoah]

I'm becoming more and more certain my dd has it. Along with ODD. She's 6, nearly 7 and can be VERY Challenging. And that's on a good day!

 

[java]

My son has a friend with Asperger's. He is just a boy with some behavioral differences from the average teen. Personal space is one of his issues- he doesn't understand that people need some space- he will get into your face to talk. (he even used to try to sit on my son's lap when they were younger- when they were 8 my son let him, when they were 11 he told him he didn't want him to and he stopped- he understood.) He is very smart and doing great in school. It is social situations that he has some trouble with. But honestly not a noticable thing. It is his lack of an emotion in his manners that throws some people. But my son knows the boy so it is a non-issue to their friendship.

 

[helenabear]

Barb, I sent you a PM... a good friend of mine on the DIS has a son with Asperger's. She will probably have lots of information for you.

 

[missypie]

DS16 is an Aspie...quirky as heck, but I wouldn't change him. Are you watching America's Next Top Model? It's on tonight. Heather has it.

 

[Cindy B]

Ds is 11 and up to today ADHD. A new doc has suggested Asperger's. I'm in all new territory. Keep those resources coming, I'm placing holds on books at the library........

Been there done that.

My son did not present all of the symptoms, but only a few (mostly the social awkwardness and the lack of organization and the lack of social cues awareness)

It was more apparent in middle school than in elementary school.

However, DS is also very bright and tested high in all IQ tests, so some school officials thought it was just "bright kid eccentricities".

He is now in a great learning team in middles school and doing much better than last year. He is in a social support classroom for one period a day, in a small group classroom. He is working on social cues and getting more socialble-- he is in the school play, band, wind ensemble and various clubs. This class is only a precautionary measure.

His classroom teachers are wonderful. He has some great supportive teachers that help him.

 

[Pembo]

*

 

[freckles and boo]

Cindy B you described my son except that he also is hyper, distracted and chatty. He's very bright and often says he's bored in school but not so bright to be qualified gifted. Just a mix of everything....

Anyone have their child on meds for symptoms?

My child doesn't have Asperger's, but she does have ADHD with a more classic but high-functioning autism. She is on the Daytrana patch. She had to have an EEG to rule out seizures and bloodwork before the prescription could be written. Approximately 25% of kids with autism have some type of seizure disorder. I don't know if that includes kids with Asperger's.

 

[Makdyn]

I believe my dd 7 has Aspergers or part of it. She is very smart. But she does not have the social skills a 7 year shold have. My dd 4 has more social skills than her. Also very disorganize (sp), when I speak with her she does not look me in the eye except at the very beginning and then starts to look else were. She also dwells on things. Has no sense of her body like everyday I have to tell her put lotion, deortorent (sp), bush teeth, sometime even wipe after the bathroom. Clothes are put on wrong, underwares showing.


sorry for the hijack