Getting evaluated....???
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Getting evaluated....???
| Wed, 03-19-2008 - 10:26am |
Hi all....I've lurked here periodically but I think only ever posted here today when I responded to the 4th grade writing thread!
Anyhow, I am a single mom to a 9yo boy that I suspect has Asperger's.


Gifted kids can also have lots of quirks which are very like aspergers at times because of the way their brain works. The best one to work out which it is would be a neuropsychologist but if you doc is balking that may not be easy to access.
I took a peek at your blog and even though you are homeschoolers you can access an evaluation for free through your local school district. THey can't provide a "medical" diagnosis but they can do many of the same tests and give you an idea if he meets the criteria as well as tease out specifically what his needs would be. A good psychological eval along with perhaps an autism or asperger rating scale would be good.
If he is identified as gifted has he had an IQ or psychological eval already? If so you can look at this subtests in that already. There are certain patterns that are fairly common amung ASD kids and other kids with neurological issues. For instance, they tend to have "scatter" amung subtests where one part may be really high and another relatively low. This doesn't mean for sure that he is ASD but may point to some neurological differences.
Finally, for a medical dx I would call your local autism society and see who they recomend in your area. There is usually someone who specializes and the local autism groups will know who that is. Your local school district may have an autism specialist or someone who can also tell you who in your area is best for diagnosing kids on the spectrum. If that doesn't work ask the doctor for a referral to either a neurologist or developmental pediatrician. You can even try looking up local ones online or calling their offices and asking if they specialize in children and aspergers/autism.
Good luck!
Renee
You've gotten some good advice on how to go about things already. I just wanted to add not to be too hard on your ped. At least he admitted that he didn't feel comfortable dx'ing your child and while his words weren't the best, the right psychologist is one way to pursue a dx.
Best of luck in finding the right people to work with.
Drea
Graham
Miles
Anson