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What do you do if you think your child may have Aspergers?

Question

What do you do if you think your child may have Aspergers? Should I schedule an appt. with his pediatrician or is there someone more specialized that we should see? I have suspected this with him for some time, but he is only three years old and I am nervous about putting something on him that may not apply. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer

It is unlikely that Aspergers will be diagnosed before school age. Some diagnosticians are clearly of the view that Aspergers cannot be diagnosed before a child starts school. The reason for this is that it is thought that social skills may not have been fully developed at this point due to the lack of exposure to social settings prior to starting school.

Get as much information as you can. Make notes and correlate what you know of your child’s behavior with the information you have gathered. This is a good step for empowering yourself before you visit your doctor, and it will show him/her that you have been concerned enough to have done your homework. Once you have convinced the doctor, request a referral to an Aspergers specialist. This might be a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist. A team on your side can help. If you still have problems, take the private option and pay for a “comprehensive psychiatric evaluation” from a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist.

My Aspergers Child: Preventing Meltdowns
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Is it a good idea to try to stop obsessive behaviors?

Question

I have a 5 year old son with Asperger's. Is it a good idea to try to stop his obsessive behaviors? Perhaps taking some of the toys he plays with repetitively or inappropriately.

Answer

Aspies' obsessions should not be curtailed unless they are totally inappropriate. Moreover, there is nothing wrong with getting into the child's world and experiencing their obsession with them. In fact, you MUST do this to ever truly reach and connect with an Aspie. (FYI: In schools, teachers who practice this are the ones who are successful with Aspies most often.) How can we expect Aspies to come out to our world if we refuse to visit theirs?

My Aspergers Child: Preventing Meltdowns
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ASD Teens and Tics

Question

My son is 16 years old and has developed a severe tic. He shakes his head and moves his shoulder up and makes a grunting noise. This has only happened in the last few weeks. Could this be due to stress?? He is becoming extremely anxious about it as everyone notices it!!

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Depression in Older Teens and Young Adults with ASD

Question

Any info to help w/22 yr. old (recently diagnosed) college grad--floundering, drinking, depressed; appears high functioning, but truly isn’t... His father has asperger traits as well.

Answer

When diagnosis of the adult ASD (high-functioning autism) occurs, it is often as a result of a child being assessed with the disorder. It then becomes apparent to other family members that the un-diagnosed adult they have struggled for so long - to understand or relate to - also has the disorder.

When an adult is diagnosed with ASD as a result of a child within the extended family being diagnosed, it can come as a "double whammy" to the family. This is particularly the case when a child and a spouse are diagnosed, since the remaining member of the family group is now in the position of dealing with two people on the spectrum in the one home. 
 

Similarly, the diagnosis of a child may make the parent twig that one of the parents had the disorder too. This also causes intense personal suffering for the person concerned since finding out that one's parent has the disorder will open as many wounds as it will explain.

The problems in dealing with adult autism sufferers can be numerous, and include:
  • A sense of frustration that you cannot "get through" to this person
  • A sense of hopelessness that the person doesn't love you
  • Depression related to the knowledge that the individual won't get better
  • Difficulties accepting that the partner has the condition
  • Failure to understand why the person cannot relate to you in a "normal" manner
  • Feeling overly responsible for the person
  • Feeling a need to constantly explain their inappropriate behaviors and comments to others
  • A feeling of trepidation due to the effect of this constant vigilance
  • If the adult Asperger is a marriage partner, concerns over whether to stay in the relationship are at times overwhelming
  • Lack of intimacy in the relationship and a failure to have your own needs met
  • Lack of emotional support from family and friends who do not understand the condition

There is less information on ASD in adulthood. Most people with mild autism are able to learn to compensate. They become indistinguishable from everyone else. They marry, hold a job and have children. Other people live an isolated existence with continuing severe difficulties in social and occupational functioning.

People on the spectrum often do well in jobs that require technical skill but little social finesse. Some do well with predictable repetitive work. Others relish the challenge of intricate technical problem solving.

I knew a man, now deceased, who had many of the characteristics of Aspergers. He lived with his mother and had few social contacts. When he visited relatives, he did not seem to understand how to integrate himself into their household routine. When the relatives would explain the situation to him, he was able to accept it. However, he was unable to generalize this to similar situations. Although he was a psychologist, his work involved technical advisory work, not face-to-face clinical sessions. 
 
Summary of interventions:
  • Adults may benefit from group therapy or individual behavioral therapy.
  • Some speech therapists have experience working with grown-ups on pragmatic language skills.
  • Behavioral coaching, a relatively new type of intervention, can help the adult with ASD organize and prioritize his daily activities.
  • Adults may need medication for associated problems such as depression or anxiety.
 
It is important to understand the needs and desires of that particular adult. Some grown-ups do not need treatment. They may find jobs that fit their areas of strength. They may have smaller social circles, and some idiosyncratic behaviors, but they may still be productive and fulfilled.

Resources for parents of children and teens on the autism spectrum:
 
 
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Problems with Sensory Overload

My children (3 teens---2 still at home--plus a 3-yr-old) all have Asperger's. They have the disability as well as dealing with others (including one parent) who also have Asperger's. As a result, people are oversensitive to sensory input and comments and, of course, go from 0 to 100 in seconds. I have a great deal of difficulty heading off the mood escalations and defusing the situation once it has started. I need any suggestions for quicker resolution, etc. that will help us function more effectively. 
 
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ASD and Relationship Difficulties

ASD level 1 (high-functioning autism) often leads to problems in social interaction with peers. These problems can be severe or mild depending on the individual. Kids with ASD are often the target of bullying at school due to their idiosyncratic behavior, precise language, unusual interests, and impaired ability to perceive and respond in socially expected ways to nonverbal cues, particularly in interpersonal conflict. 
 
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ASD and "Problems with Balance"

Question

My [high functioning autistic] child has great difficulty with balance – is this a normal trait or something else?

Answer

Both ASD (high-functioning autism) and Sensory Integration Dysfunction often go hand in hand. It is common to hear that a child with the disorder also has difficulty with balance and other gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and unusual tolerance (or intolerance) to sounds, lights, smells, and touch. 
 
 These complaints cause as much of a problem for children with ASD as the actual language, communication, and social weaknesses that are a direct result of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

There are therapies that address the symptoms of autism and sensory issues. However, there are activities you can do at home with your child that will help develop sensory integration. There are separate sensory systems that create a person’s sensory profile. Here is a list of these sensory areas:
 
  • Fine motor skills are necessary for grasping, writing, tying shoes, and working buttons and zippers. These skills include all physical skills related to the strength and control of the small muscles of the body.
  • Gross motor skills are necessary for walking, kicking, jumping, and coordination. These skills include all physical skills related to the strength and control of the large muscle groups of the body.
  • Proprioception is the ability to properly use the big muscles and joints of the body.
  • Tactile is the ability to properly interpret touch.
  • Vestibular is the ability to balance, body movement, and knowing where your body is in relation to space. Closely related, but not exactly sensory systems, these skill areas are often incorporated during occupational/sensory therapies.

When working with children on tne autism spectrum and sensory issues, keep in mind that many physical play activities can be adapted to your home therapy program. Sensory therapy should look like play and it should be fun. Here are some activities you can try, along with the sensory systems each activity will benefit:

Proprioceptive—

• Encourage pushing or pulling heavy weight, such as a basket of books or toys.
• Have the child jump into a foam pit or onto a padded mat.
• Have the child jump on a trampoline.

Vestibular—

• Have the child walk on a balance beam
• Push the child on a swing.

Tactile—

• Have a finger painting session.
• Mash and roll out Play-Doh.
• Play catch by tossing a textured, weighted ball.
• Use mud, pudding, or shaving cream to play in with hands and feet.

There are many books and videos that can help you develop a home play therapy plan for your child with ASD and sensory issues. One such guide is the video entitled, “Learn to Move, Move to Learn, Dinosaurs” by Jenny Clark Brack. This video is a theme-based lesson geared towards young children.

 
Resources for parents of children and teens on the autism spectrum:
 
 
 
 COMMENTS:

•    Anonymous said... my 9yo runs kinda like a thunderbird and falls over quite a bit,but he learnt to ride a bike without trainers at 3 and he now races motocross.he's not brilliant but he is obsessed with it and never gives up.as for getting lost he panics if we go for a ride or drive through the forrest,even if we drive into the city we have to show him the route on a map before we go .
•    Anonymous said... my 10 yr old has trouble with balance. He runs too fast for his feet and falls alot. He does have some of the limbs flailing around but he doesn't seem to care and neither do I. As long as he is having fun thats all that matters. We are both aware that he will not be joing any professional sport teams and we are ok with that. He just runs for fun. He has not gotten the bike down yet .
•    Anonymous said... My son is 14 and rides a bike with training wheels. Seems to be hard to keep balance as well. He is clumsy and trips over his feet at times. He seems to lack the natural response to put your hands out to catch yourself when going to fall or trip.
•    Jane … Yes yes and yes...my son is like a limp noodle half of the time (and a spinning top the other half) and every day at least falls, trips, knocks something over or drops something at least once! They are klutzes, but there are medical reasons. Mine just had a behavior problem from frustration with a balancing task in gym but once I explained this, now he's going to put in a specialized gym class and getting a physical therapy eval as well! Ask about these at school, they're his right legally.

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