Desperate. Can anyone help?

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
Desperate. Can anyone help?
3
Sat, 07-02-2005 - 7:31pm

I'm hoping someone can help me.
I have a 6 yrs old soon to be 7 yrs old ds.
(I have 1 other ds 17 months and another on the way due in Dec.)
My 6 yrs old ds is a great kid but he has always been a little "odd". He was diagnosed with adhd last year. He's a very smart boy reading well above his grade level. Since my ds has been 2 yrs old he has had an obsession with movies. He likes watching them but also LOVES carrying them around and reading the covers and inserts. He's been doing this since he was 2. He does not play with toys. He reads alot about movies and rights lists of movies that he copies out of magazines. All of his conversations revolve around movies. My son has some speech problems. Particularly articulation and speed. He is currently having speech therapy. He also has fine motor skills problems. Our son is a bit of a loner and has problems interacting with other children. He has social skills problems. When he speaks to other children he steers the conversations to movies. Our son does not do imaginative play. He also takes things very literally. He is sensitive to children screaming loudly at a playground or school yard. This is to the point where the teacher kept him inside at recess because he said the kids screaming gave him headaches.

I know this may sound strange but I'm coming to realize my son is not like all the other children. We accept him for who he is and he is a great kid. I just wish we had more knowledge as to what is making him "different". I have been researching and thought maybe our son has AS. Does it sound like he could possibly have it? Or am I way of track?
Thanks for any help. I really appreciate it.

Karen
There are other things but this is all I can think of right now.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-24-2004
Sat, 07-02-2005 - 8:15pm

Hi Karen. I am a psychologist (PHD) although I now stay at home with my DS, who is an Autistic Spectrum child. I haven't observed your son, so I can only give you a tentative opinion here. He definately sounds like he fits the criteria for Asperger's Syndrome. I would encourage you to seek a professional opinion next, since getting him a formal label will help him get treatment.

Because of his obsessiveness, I would encourage you to seek an opinion from a child psychiatrist or another doc who can possibly prescribe meds. He may have a co-morbid condition (in addition to the AS) of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or he may just have AS and be a good candidate for medication that reduces his obsessiveness. He could also just have OCD and not AS because OCD can create social problems too when not treated.

My son has some OCD traits (a book obsession and lots of difficulty switching from one activity to another when he is absorbed in what he is doing). These symptoms have become less of a problem and he is more interactive, since we have had him on a Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) drug (Prozac family). SSRI's are routinely given for OCD, depression, anxiety, and they are increasingly being given to children with autistic spectrum disorders.

There are also a number of good behavioral therapies out there, and schools may provide social skills training for such kids. We do floortime and RDI at home, and my son also gets social skills training, OT, and speech therapy at school. We have a private OT and speech therapist, too. There are just a lot of routes you can go to customize a program that will help your child, but you have to get a diagnosis first.

Good luck.

Suzi

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2005
Sat, 07-02-2005 - 8:41pm

Karen,

Your son sounds like he has many AS attributes. My ds is 7 and dx AS this past January but previously dx ADHD. I can tell you've done your research on this as you hit all the big markers of AS. I have found the OASIS website on Aspergers very helpful. There is an article on there about how AS presents in the classroom and that is the one that caused my "lightbulb moment." It's tough at first to digest everything but Suzi is absolutely right about getting him a dx so you can get him help. My son just started OT and while his speech is fine in content I am contemplating therapy to help him learn the give and take of conversation. He likes to dominate conversations but his topics seem to change from week to week. This week he is very concerned about some current in the Gulf of Mexico that has shifted and if it doesn't shift back we will experience another ice age. I've learned to screen the science channel so I can study up when he asks questions. Good luck, Vicky

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 07-03-2005 - 12:31am

Ditto the other 2. You have hit many of the markers of AS. My son as well was diagnosed ADHD first. It isn't uncommon for that to happen. My oldest dd was delayed and even her first diagnosis was ADHD at 3, PDD-NOS at 4 and AS at 7.

Definitely check the OASIS website as mentioned. Approach your school district for an evaluation to get him any needed supports. You said he already recieves speech then he must have an IEP. It would help if they worked on pragmatic skills and social skills as well. Also, see about getting a referral from your doctor. I would recomend a neurologist, neuropsychologist or psychologist that specialize in ASD's for diagnostics. Neurologists can perscribe as well. If you go the psychiatrist route make sure they are very experienced in ASD's. I have had some bad experiences with those who aren't.

Good luck.

Renee

Photobucket