Unsure

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-21-2006
Unsure
4
Mon, 08-06-2007 - 1:47pm

Hi all,

I am new to this board. My son will be 9 on Friday, and we have had school difficulties and behavior difficulties since he was 4. We were told by the preschool not to pass him on to kindergarden because he was not mature enough. He taught himself to read at 4 with very little help, so we passed him on. We heard right away in kindergarden that he had trouble focusing, transitioning, and problems with fine motor. We got him private PT through our insurance and ignored requests for testing for special ed. 1st grade, we heard again that he needed to be tested. The teacher mentioned Aspergers. We had him tested. His IQ was 129, but he did not qualify for special ed. He does have a special education plan outside of special ed though. He has had trouble focusing, transitioning, with fine motor, social interaction, occasional fits. I went the natural route and had a lot of success with the focus. He will start 4th grade in 2 weeks. I am wondering more and more if he does have Asperger's, even though he has never been tested for it. He also has urinary and bowel problems. He is very, very skinny as well, even though he eats a lot. Anyway, sorry this is so long, but I am wondering if this at all sounds familiar to any of you??

Cathie

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-16-2006
In reply to: forthefather
Mon, 08-06-2007 - 5:14pm

Hi Cathie, and sorry to hear all your distress in your post. We are not professionals here but we do understand how you are feeling.

First off let me ask, why not test him for being a possible aspie?
Was it you thought it could be just a "phase" he might have been going through? I had a lot of denial at first before I finally agreed with getting my son tested and came back with PDD...

Spectrum kids are different in their own right even if they share a similar dx.

I hope you would consider getting him evaled before the school year. It would help you see what course of action to take and help protect your child under the law with getting him an education reguardless what his needs may be.

This is a wonderful board. Hope you stay awhile

Nora

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
In reply to: forthefather
Mon, 08-06-2007 - 7:47pm

The symptoms you mention are all familiar with my two Asperger's kids. My 8yo ds finally got an official diagnosis at the beginning of the year. His dx report says he's "twice exceptional" because he's so smart he needs to be challenged in his school classes, but he has all the other deficits from an autism spectrum disorder (attention deficit, social issues, problems with motor skills/writing/PE, problems with inferential thinking, easily overwhelmed, tantrums, etc) that necessitate his receiving accommodations at school. He's too smart for special ed, but regular classes aren't necessarily right, either. Right now ds is in regular classes with a few accommodations. Both my AS kids have had issues with bowel/bladder as well. I'd definitely get your ds tested, either privately or through the school.

This message board has been a wealth of benefit to my family. I have gotten far more info from this message board than from the doctors (once we got an official dx, the docs were a little surprised that I understood everything they were telling me and didn't have more questions -- I was waaaaay ahead of them after everything I'd learned here)!

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
In reply to: forthefather
Mon, 08-06-2007 - 11:10pm

Cathie,


Welcome to the board! we are glad to have you here.


Soem of it sounds familiar but only a professional who has evaluated your child can tell you for sure what is going on. Some kids can be very difficult to quantify (I have two of them).


You can go through your pediatrician and health insurance (which often will not over an

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-29-2004
In reply to: forthefather
Tue, 08-07-2007 - 1:22pm

Cathie,
You just spoke the story of my son's life. Only after we got the diagnosis as Asperger, the school was willing to make changes and accept him for who he is. I think it would be a good idea to get the diagnosis (outside of school) and help your son.

take care,
Anandhi