Hi, new here, and need advice.....
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| Thu, 06-02-2005 - 10:20pm |
My DS age 9, has had "issues" since he was a baby. As a toddler, he was a brilliant boy, who cracked everyone up. My family called him a "40 yr old man" because of how articulate and literal he was when he talked.
When he started school, we started seeing that even though he was very bright, his fine motor skills and gross motor skills were impeding his learning. In 1st grade he was put on an IEP, because I was fortunate enough to have a Dr. Dx of SID for him. He would not of qualified based on academics.
He has come along way since then. He is in 3rd grade now, and he stopped seeing the OT and PT in December, because they felt he was at grade level. His IEP still stood for his fine motor skills.
Now, we are dealing with anxiety, he has always been a little worry-wart, but he is getting out of control with how he handles it. My husband and I decided that it was not something he will outgrow, it will only get worse as he gets older. So, I talked to his ped. about getting him councelling, and he referred an excellent child phsycologist.
In the meantime, while researching anxiety in children, someone sent me info on Asperger's.
I went to the Diagnostic Scale, and was blown away! That was MY CHILD on the computer screen in front of me. They could of developed the scale using my son as a model. I printed it out, and scheduled time with his teacher, I had her fill it out, and she couldn't believe it either. Her answers also showed he could be Asperger's. She then shared with me a conversation she had with a teacher in the school. This teacher has the autistic kids. She observes my son on the playgound regularly, and one day, went up to his teacher, pointed to Patrick and said "He's one of mine." She now makes it a point to interact with Patrick when she has a chance.
My question is this. Where do we go from here? My mind is racing in 50 million directions since learning all of this. I cannot believe that after 9 years, my child is NOT just rude. There could be a reason he is like he is.
Is Aspergers treated by a nueroligist? Phsycologist? Regular ped.? How do I bring this up to his ped.? I guess I just call him and tell him what info I came into to. At this point, I now want an official diagnosis, or I want AS ruled out.
How and when was your child diagnosed? Thanks for any info.
My name is Marie, BTW!

Hi Marie-
Talk to your pediatrician and get a recommendation fromhis or her for a good developmental pediatrician. A dev. ped will be able to make a diagnosis, or tell you if something else could be causing the behaviors you are concerned about. In addition, the dev. ped. will be able to send you in the right direction for therapy, or at least give you some options.
In addition, if you get a diagnosis of AS, contract your scholl district to find out what sort of resources they can provide for your son. The problem with treating autism/AS is that it is not viewed as a medical condition by insurance companies- it is viewed as a developmental disorder, so many treatments are not covered by insurance. However, the school district should be able to provide you son with some assistance if you get a dx of AS.
Good luck and keep in touch. There is a lot of information and support here.
Marie,
Hi. I am a psychologist and I have a son with PDD-NOS (similar to Aspergers). Kids with Aspergers are often not diagnosed until much older because they show such excellent language development and may impress adults with their intellectual capabilities. I am not at all surprised that your Ped did not notice the problems. Peds are not trained for this unless a parent gives them the right info, setting off red flags. Your concerns about anxiety are the first red flags you have given your Ped to go on.
As for anxiety treatment, you may find that there are sensory issues involved, and cognitive-behavioral treatments may help your son. You may also end up using some antidepressants to ease his anxiety, if you and his psych want to go that route. My son, Cassian, is 5.5 yrs, and we are just now trying SSRI (specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors) treatment on him with good results. SSRI's are the family of drugs that Prozac belongs to. If you have people with depression in your family or DH's or anyone with obsessive compulsive tendencies, it is a good bet that these medications will help your son. We are seeing much better social interaction and general functioning in our son since he has been on Lexapro (one of the SSRI's). We also use many other cognitive-behavioral treatments.
Good luck to you and your son. He sounds like a very smart kid, who will find his place in this world.
Suzi
I agree that most ped. just don't pick up on Aspergers because they spend so little time with the children. School is where it typically presents as a "problem." Chase does well in school but with a bunch of prodding and ques from teachers and classmates. He attends a private catholic school and will only go half day next year and I will supplement at home. Good luck and know that you have found a group of very supportive and knowledgeable women. Regards, Vicky