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New here for 6 year old son partially diagnosed with AS yesterday. Help!

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NicosMommy

Active Member
It's been a struggle over the last few years trying to figure out what's going on with my 6 year old son, Nico. Traits are difficulty in school, not cooperating, not following directions, separating himself from the rest of the class and not interested in participating with anything that involves strusture/ rules/ interacting with other kids, repeating phrases/ noises over and over, running up and down paths instead of playing with other kids at playgrounds, almost no attention span, wandering mind, plays mostly by himself... just to name a few. At the same time, he is a sweet, loving boy with a great sense of humor and very smart, above grade level in a lot of his classes. Finally there has been a little light shed on things for us. Upon a consult with his pediatrician yesterday, we were told that he could not be officially diagnosed with anything because he has here-and-there traits of Asperger's and Inattentive ADD, but not enough of either for a formal diagnoses. However, as his mother, I feel that AS explains him the best. They say AS is difficult to diagnose, so how do people know if their child has it? I also heard that they don't call it that anymore and it is referred to as just 'Autism Spectrum". But my son is not Autistic, and when you tell people that title, they immediately think they are. What do I call it? Mostly joined on here for support from other parents with young children with this condition. Looking for support, guidance and just to talk to someone who is going through the same thing as I am. Really interested to hear symptoms and actions of other children and the parents' strategies to deal with them. Hope to make some new friends on here soon
Thank you.....
 
Hi NicosMommy,

I find it easier to read when text is broken up into paragraphs, separated by topic. When I see a non-stop block of sentences, my brain shuts down. Would you mind editing your post to make it easier to address?

Also, if I come across a forum that's more centered on parents, I'll let you know.

Are you in an area that would offer special services if your son is given a diagnosis?
 
It's rare that I hear of someone being specifically, definitively diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome at such a young age. I will say, a pediatrician alone might not be enough to make an informed evaluation. I would suggest taking your child to a child psychologist, who would have a better grasp on what, specifically, your child's issues are, and which diagnosis would prove most helpful to him in terms of meeting his educational needs; and could provide some official, compelling documentation to ensure he is receiving the best education and care he can get.
 
Hi Nico's mommy.
The things you have described do sound like a mixture of AS and ADHD.
Remember, the most important thing for him is not whether he is officially diagnosed; it is whether he has parents that love, understand, and support him.

It is a good idea to research AS, as I suspect you are doing, but it is important to gains one's understanding of it from the best sources.
I would recommend the works of Tony Atwood Home to gain a better understanding of AS, particularly in children. One of the world's top experts on the subject, and one of the most trustworthy. Out of all experts on AS who do not themselves have it, he is by far my favorite. There are also some excellent youtube videos with Tony Atwood that are enlightening as regards AS in adults.
 
Hi,
As a parent of child with Aspergers and a sufferer myself, I am painfully aware of the need for help. My son was diagnosed at age4, only because of a very well informed and educated teacher. Children with Aspergers need to taunt diffently, and requires close contact between teachers and qualified support groups. It is by no means an easy path to walk, but advocating for one's child, within the education, system, never is. Dont lose hope and be strong for him. Educate yourself, so you can understand what he's feeling and how he learns
The reward for me in doing this, is seeing my now 17 old, stand before me, a better person, than ill ever be. He is intelligent, has friends, is in a relationship and has a global awareness, that I envy. Many professionals tried to box him into a category and limit his potential. No matter what you read and what people tell u, take it as a view point but dont accept it as gospal. There are so many layers to this disability, that no body knows it all. Offer opportunity, wherever you can, for your son. It might suprize you, just what he's capable of, with the right support and incentives.

Cheers Turk
 
I would definitely seek out a specialist for help. Sounds like he is a smart child who is wired differently like us aspies.The problem with public schools is that most of them are now part of that common core curriculum crap. They think kids are robots with no differences in abilities. If you can find a good school, private if you can, that has a good program for children that need extra attention it would go a long ways in developing his abilities. Sorry you are dealing with this. Do as much research as you can on aspergers and learn how the aspie mind works because you may end up having to do a lot of the teaching. I am an aspie and school was hell for me. The only thing I excelled in was spelling. Back then the schools really didn't have a clue about aspergers. Best of luck!
 
Jimbo said:
I would definitely seek out a specialist for help. Sounds like he is a smart child who is wired differently like us aspies.The problem with public schools is that most of them are now part of that common core curriculum crap. They think kids are robots with no differences in abilities. If you can find a good school, private if you can, that has a good program for children that need extra attention it would go a long ways in developing his abilities. Sorry you are dealing with this. Do as much research as you can on aspergers and learn how the aspie mind works because you may end up having to do a lot of the teaching. I am an aspie and school was hell for me. The only thing I excelled in was spelling. Back then the schools really didn't have a clue about aspergers. Best of luck!
Click to expand...
Although not all private schools are better. :(
 
Here in Australia, an official diagnosis of Aspergers draws government funding to the school. And yes at times they just wanna take the money and say, trust us. With the support of professional Aspergers support groups, schools can be bought to account, and funds spent in areas best suited to the individual. The schools still tend to see u as a pin in the ass but strong advocacy is essential for successful learning. The crazy thing is, that my son had inclusive strategies utilized in the classroom and the whole mainstream class benefited, from that style of teaching. Why u wouldnt modify teaching strategies, based around findings like these, is beyond me
 
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