What is this?

[brokeher]

I am a single 49 year old father of a two year nine month old boy. He has some very peculiar traits and I'm hoping that maybe someone can help me.

He is:

1. Very intelligent. The smartest child that I have ever come across and he is routinely acknowledged by strangers as being extremely intelligent

2. His vocabulary is enormous. Far beyond children much older than him. He has been talking non stop forever.

3. He is and always has been extremely social and friendly.

What he does:

1. Repeats things over and over and over and over again. Seems pathological.

2. Fixates on one thing. He's been on Cows for months. As I sit here he is repeating "Lets make gravy, lets make gravy".

3. The repeating seems to get worse the more that he is tired.

4. He holds his hands in a stiff way all the time. He bends his wrists in and holds his fingers straight.

5. He doesn't always like to make eye contact .

6. He doesn't like to be touched and doesn't like blankets on him.

7. He doesn't respond to pain in a normal way. He doesn't cry when he gets hurt. He never has.

8. He will hit his head against things on purpose or jump up and land on his knees in anger.

9. He lines up his toys or stacks them.

10. He really never quits talking. If he is awake he is talking and demanding attention. .

Does any of this make sense to anyone? Am I asking the right question in the right place? I really need help here.

 

[Streetwise]

I am a single 49 year old father of a two year nine month old boy. He has some very peculiar traits and I'm hoping that maybe someone can help me.

He is:

1. Very intelligent. The smartest child that I have ever come across and he is routinely acknowledged by strangers as being extremely intelligent

2. His vocabulary is enormous. Far beyond children much older than him. He has been talking non stop forever.

3. He is and always has been extremely social and friendly.

What he does:

1. Repeats things over and over and over and over again. Seems pathological.

2. Fixates on one thing. He's been on Cows for months. As I sit here he is repeating "Lets make gravy, lets make gravy".

3. The repeating seems to get worse the more that he is tired.

4. He holds his hands in a stiff way all the time. He bends his wrists in and holds his fingers straight.

5. He doesn't always like to make eye contact .

6. He doesn't like to be touched and doesn't like blankets on him.

7. He doesn't respond to pain in a normal way. He doesn't cry when he gets hurt. He never has.

8. He will hit his head against things on purpose or jump up and land on his knees in anger.

9. He lines up his toys or stacks them.

10. He really never quits talking. If he is awake he is talking and demanding attention. .

Does any of this make sense to anyone? Am I asking the right question in the right place? I really need help here.

A Neuro psychologist specializing in autism The reason is there are different causes of his behaviour ,he May not have been socialized, He may have PDD nOS ,he could have Brain damage from different causes, he may need help if !he is diagnosed with autism so that he will be socially acceptable! most people like you! don’t accept autism ,they think it’s a curse .

 

[brokeher]

I do accept autism and do not believe that it is a curse. I am trying to figure out if something is wrong with my child. I am wondering if this might be asperger's.

 

[GadAbout]

Get him assessed by the best professional you can find who specializes in child neuropsychology. Your son definitely has something going on.

Knowledge is power. Maybe your son is not too troubled by his differences now, but when he moves into school or larger society, they may become very serious problems. For instance: will others be angry with him for his lack of eye contact? Will his dislike of being touched cause issues when he joins school or wants to date? Will his insensitivity to pain mean doctors don't take his injuries seriously? Will his sociability cause him distress when peers begin to tease or bully him?

It is clear that you appreciate and love your son. Don't worry about his future, but do arm yourself with knowledge.

 

[oregano]

You need to find a REALLY excellent neuropsychologist, even if you have to fly to a large city to have him evaluated. All of us here have been repeatedly victimized by doctors who ranged from incompetent to malevolent. The wrong diagnosis at his age could really have a negative impact on his future. It is great that you're not in denial about his problems like many parents are, so you need to do some very deep digging and find doctors who are truly knowledgeable. Your insurance may try to deny coverage for him if you are in the USA, so you need to prepare for that too if you're American. I should note that a known risk factor for autism is advanced age (over 40) in one or both biological parents.

 

[Dadwith2Autisticsons]

I am a single 49 year old father of a two year nine month old boy. He has some very peculiar traits and I'm hoping that maybe someone can help me.

He is:

1. Very intelligent. The smartest child that I have ever come across and he is routinely acknowledged by strangers as being extremely intelligent

2. His vocabulary is enormous. Far beyond children much older than him. He has been talking non stop forever.

3. He is and always has been extremely social and friendly.

What he does:

1. Repeats things over and over and over and over again. Seems pathological.

2. Fixates on one thing. He's been on Cows for months. As I sit here he is repeating "Lets make gravy, lets make gravy".

3. The repeating seems to get worse the more that he is tired.

4. He holds his hands in a stiff way all the time. He bends his wrists in and holds his fingers straight.

5. He doesn't always like to make eye contact .

6. He doesn't like to be touched and doesn't like blankets on him.

7. He doesn't respond to pain in a normal way. He doesn't cry when he gets hurt. He never has.

8. He will hit his head against things on purpose or jump up and land on his knees in anger.

9. He lines up his toys or stacks them.

10. He really never quits talking. If he is awake he is talking and demanding attention. .

Does any of this make sense to anyone? Am I asking the right question in the right place? I really need help here.

Yes, you definitely seem to be in the right place. Everything you said seems what was formerly known as Asperger Syndrome, but in the US now they would just call it as part of Autism Spectrum Disorder. So, an evaluation by an Autism specialist or one that specializes in neuropsychological Disorders would be recommended. Not sure why your child’s doctors would not have picked up on this. What you mentioned is very common for an Aspergers type condition.

 

[Pats]

It looks like you're heading in the right direction, but you do need a specialist to know for certain. I admire your ability to accept your son and accept that he could possibly have a problem. Don't like saying problem, because it's not a bad thing, but you are able to see that he is different. So many parents deny the possibility. Read up on autism spectrum as much as you can AND find someone who does specialize in autism, because there are so many doctors out there who are not knowledgeable enough to make a proper diagnosis and their guess is not as good as yours.

 

[Aspychata]

I do accept autism and do not believe that it is a curse. I am trying to figure out if something is wrong with my child. I am wondering if this might be asperger's.

My daughter is on the spectrum, l decided to homeschool. She basically was computer literate probably by 4th grade. She could read college books by 7th grade. She had no problems reading job applications and such. She then was enrolled in a performing arts high school and did improv on the stage with all the other socially awkward students. I did give her the choice and then had to drive her and pick her up everyday. l didn't feel comfortable with her taking 2 buses since it was outside of her assigned school district. l believed this helped with her feeling safe since she was bullied in second grade. l withdrew her from the public school system at that point.

You as a parent can do this. I never thought anything was wrong with my daughter, because she loved to learn. We always had play dates scheduled.
l had the ability to stay with her everyday, so l am thankful for this.

 

[SolarPoweredNightOwl]

3. The repeating seems to get worse the more that he is tired.

Pay attention to what else happens when he is tired. Watch also, if things get more noticeable when he is highly stimulated or has high demands placed on him. Autists burn through energy much more quickly, and get overloaded more easily, because various everyday things are more difficult for us. Hence a lot of our stranger behaviors.

 

[Aspychata]

Pay attention to what else happens when he is tired. Watch also, if things get more noticeable when he is highly stimulated or has high demands placed on him. Autists burn through energy much more quickly, and get overloaded more easily, because various everyday things are more difficult for us. Hence a lot of our stranger behaviors.

That is why homeschool is a winwin. They are in the home environment and you will cover way more material and when they need less stimulation, or are tired, you change to something easier to do. But you need to check your state regulations.

 

[Crossbreed]

Hello & welcome @brokeher.

I am not a neuro-psyche professional and cannot give official medical advice. As an amateur, your son sounds like he has autism plus other co-morbid conditions.

If you are in the USA, see Autlanders, Thriving Outside of the Box: Finding Support Resources in the USA...

 

[brokeher]

You need to find a REALLY excellent neuropsychologist, even if you have to fly to a large city to have him evaluated. All of us here have been repeatedly victimized by doctors who ranged from incompetent to malevolent. The wrong diagnosis at his age could really have a negative impact on his future. It is great that you're not in denial about his problems like many parents are, so you need to do some very deep digging and find doctors who are truly knowledgeable. Your insurance may try to deny coverage for him if you are in the USA, so you need to prepare for that too if you're American. I should note that a known risk factor for autism is advanced age (over 40) in one or both biological parents.

Thank you for the response and information. I am scheduling an appointment with his pediatrician Monday morning and will be requesting the best neuropsychology doctor that Kaiser has in the southern California region. I'm sure that some of the best they have can be found in the L.A. area.

 

[brokeher]

Thank you for the response and information. I am scheduling an appointment with his pediatrician Monday morning and will be requesting the best neuropsychology doctor that Kaiser has in the southern California region. I'm sure that some of the best they have can be found in the L.A. area.

 

[brokeher]

It looks like you're heading in the right direction, but you do need a specialist to know for certain. I admire your ability to accept your son and accept that he could possibly have a problem. Don't like saying problem, because it's not a bad thing, but you are able to see that he is different. So many parents deny the possibility. Read up on autism spectrum as much as you can AND find someone who does specialize in autism, because there are so many doctors out there who are not knowledgeable enough to make a proper diagnosis and their guess is not as good as yours.

Thank you for the response and information. I am scheduling an appointment with his pediatrician Monday morning and will be requesting the best neuropsychology doctor that Kaiser has in the southern California region. I'm sure that some of the best they have can be found in the L.A. area.

 

[brokeher]

My daughter is on the spectrum, l decided to homeschool. She basically was computer literate probably by 4th grade. She could read college books by 7th grade. She had no problems reading job applications and such. She then was enrolled in a performing arts high school and did improv on the stage with all the other socially awkward students. I did give her the choice and then had to drive her and pick her up everyday. l didn't feel comfortable with her taking 2 buses since it was outside of her assigned school district. l believed this helped with her feeling safe since she was bullied in second grade. l withdrew her from the public school system at that point.

You as a parent can do this. I never thought anything was wrong with my daughter, because she loved to learn. We always had play dates scheduled.
l had the ability to stay with her everyday, so l am thankful for this.

Now I see how that could be a valuable answer. My brother home schooled his awkward son for 2 to 3 years. He just moved out of California and went back to public school this year. 7th or 8th grade I think. I'm an older parent and my life will be dedicated to my son. Just didn't know there would be this add challenge. I'm really looking at this as many positive gifts are within him. I have always been deemed as having above average intellegence by others and standardized testing. He is far more intelligent than I am... Thank you for the help.

 

[brokeher]

Hello & welcome @brokeher.

I am not a neuro-psyche professional and cannot give official medical advice. As an amateur, your son sounds like he has autism plus other co-morbid conditions.

If you are in the USA, see Autlanders, Thriving Outside of the Box: Finding Support Resources in the USA...

Thank you, I will be looking at that link next. I will be making him an appointment monday morning for his pediatrician. Then requesting the neuro-psyche professional. What did you think that the other co-morbid conditions may be?

 

[Crossbreed]

I will be making him an appointment monday morning for his pediatrician.

I wouldn't trust a non-specialized pediatrician, at this point. They usually only recognize ASD2/3, if at all. They usually don't recognize ASD1 (especially if it includes giftedness).

What did you think that the other co-morbid conditions may be?

My speculation wouldn't be valid right now. Let the experts run their tests, first.

 

[Professori]

I am a single 49 year old father of a two year nine month old boy. He has some very peculiar traits and I'm hoping that maybe someone can help me.

He is:

1. Very intelligent. The smartest child that I have ever come across and he is routinely acknowledged by strangers as being extremely intelligent

2. His vocabulary is enormous. Far beyond children much older than him. He has been talking non stop forever.

3. He is and always has been extremely social and friendly.

What he does:

1. Repeats things over and over and over and over again. Seems pathological.

2. Fixates on one thing. He's been on Cows for months. As I sit here he is repeating "Lets make gravy, lets make gravy".

3. The repeating seems to get worse the more that he is tired.

4. He holds his hands in a stiff way all the time. He bends his wrists in and holds his fingers straight.

5. He doesn't always like to make eye contact .

6. He doesn't like to be touched and doesn't like blankets on him.

7. He doesn't respond to pain in a normal way. He doesn't cry when he gets hurt. He never has.

8. He will hit his head against things on purpose or jump up and land on his knees in anger.

9. He lines up his toys or stacks them.

10. He really never quits talking. If he is awake he is talking and demanding attention. .

Does any of this make sense to anyone? Am I asking the right question in the right place? I really need help here.

He does seem to display symptoms of autism, but just as others have suggested, you do need to have him assessed by a specialist who specializes in autism. If he constantly displays the symptoms you have listed then in all likelihood you have an autistic child.
It’s really commendable that you have made contact on this forum because you will find very informative and helpful advice and insights, especially in relation to perspectives of those who actually live the lives of those who have been labeled, categorized in this way. I personally do not enjoy labels or categories because we are all so unique, but I do acknowledge that the ‘label’ will point to valuable and in depth knowledge.
It’s also commendable that you do seek a professional diagnosis so that you can ask further questions, gain insight and understanding, and know how best to love and live with your son.