?? about Asperger's Syndrome

[foreverlove06]

Oh also, for the helping them part--

 

People with aspergers can be geniuses... which i think is kind of amazing, because they cant function socially but have incredible gifts when it comes to other things. So i think the best way to help them is to let them expand on the gift they may have, whatever they are really good at. In my cousins case, she is crazy smart with biology so shes taking a lot of science classes in college... it makes her feel good about herself to know that she can succeed in something. She has something to be proud of.

 

Your son might become the next Albert Einstein, who also had asperger syndrome!

[WillWorkForShoes]

Aspergers is part of the big "umbrella" of Autism. A lot of people think of Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man" and panic, but that is autism at a very exceptional point. AS is like one of the dangly spoke bits of the umbrella, and people with AS can function very happily in society.

 

My son is 8 and he was diagnosed with ADHD & Aspergers when he was four. Prior to that the doctors just considered him "a handful" and the toileting issues (that he STILL has) were just "potty training" and his lack of ability to form & keep friendships were just childhood "boy" stuff.

 

I knew differently - heck we do as parents don't we! It took a LOT on my part to get him seen by a specialist. The GP wouldn't even refer him until he was four, so on his 4th birthday I marched him down there! I had to literally phone CAHMS (adolescent mental health services) every day until the secretary got pig sick of me checking for cancellation appts and to see how far up the waiting list he was! Even at THAT point his toileting trouble was mis-diagnosed as being "constipated" even though his problem was the opposite - he couldn't (can't) control it... a big symptom for AS combined with his other "problems." Nobody took me seriously. It took a lot of constant campaigning and hassling the GP, CAHMS and then the SENCO when he started school to get some action and for someone to take me seriously!

 

I understand from the thread that your son is an adult - but I would still recommend supporting him with a diagnosis and encourage him to see his GP.

 

My experience with Aspergers is based on an eight year old boy, so I don't know how much help I can be, but I do know it's been a battle and a struggle! The diagnosis helped me to know that a lot of his problems weren't caused by me and that his behaviour wasn't my fault as a parent.

 

My son is what they call "high functioning" and very gifted. I just wish that I could bottle it and give it back to him in tablet form so that he could take advantage of it!! He is aware of his diagnosis and I am hoping that growing up with it will help him to overcome the boundaries that he has (more social communication, understanding of consequences & peer group integration). He has so much potential and is so very very clever

 

 

Once he was diagnosed everything became so clear and so much made sense. It took around 3-4 months to get his medication right, and we first of all tried the "behaviour" therapy methods as I was very anti medication in the beginning. BUT once his medication was sorted and they found the right combo/dose for him ... he became such a completely different boy!! His personality was the same and he was still the same person - he had just slowed down enough to actually concentrate on the world and focus!!

 

Like I said, I don't know how much help I can be but if you have anything I can help to answer ... then just ask!

[Lizzie60]

Thank you for your replies.. I am waiting for the GP to refer him to a psyciatrist... I have been supporting him financially for the last 6-7 years.. (along with his dad)... I visit him regularly.. he lives on his own.

[Nemo]

I always wondered what ass burgers was. This is a timely, and educational, thread.

[annieo]

I have had two students with Asperger's. One was very high functioning, intelligent, but still had a lot of trouble with social interaction/appropriate behavior. Tantrums, aggressive acts. He has mellowed quite a bit in the two years since I taught him, and I am pretty sure he will be CEO of a computer gaming company in the future.

The other was more profoundly disturbed (would put his head on his desk with his coat over his head for an hour at a time, do a runner from the room and hide under the stairs), and much lower academically (but brilliant at visual art).

They weren't always easy to work with, but it was highly rewarding when I could reach them. And I will never forget them, or stop wishing them well.

 

What behaviors of your son's make you suspect AS?

 

And by the way, I read a fabulous book this summer, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime", which is written from the point of view of a 15 year old boy with AS. Highly recommend it. Very insightful.

 

Good luck with the diagnosis, Lizzie. I have learned from my experience with students (and their parents) that being able to figure out the puzzle can be a huge relief, and very helpful in dealing with the future. Keep us posted

[Lizzie60]

Thanks.. I would say that he is more like the second student.. strange sometimes.. can be aggressive.. extremely good in arts .. he is very shy and hates to be in public .. has absolutely no 'manners' in society.. and does not care about anyone.. in public, people look at him in strange ways but I can understand he looks very strange..

 

he has a lot of symptoms of this condition.. that's why I would like a psychiatrist to diagnose him..

 

thanks for the book.. I'll try to get it.

[annieo]

I VERY recently watched a documentary about adults with AS (on TV Ontario, can't remember the name, British). One mother (who had 3 sons, 2 with AS) made the point that she knew that her third didn't have AS because he got upset about something that she hadn't seen, and then he told her about it.

 

Kids with Asperger's apparently don't realize that other people have their own thoughts: they assume that what they know, everyone knows. Which, as you can imagine (or probably already know), leads to huge frustration, when you add in all of the communication/social misreading issues.

 

Good on you for getting him seen, and I wish you all the best. And seriously, get the book. It read as if it was written by my student. Wish I had had it when he was in my class.

[Lizzie60]

Would that be a good book for him to read?

[annieo]

I think you would be the best judge of that. But you should read it first and see if it's appropriate. And I think I would also wait until there has been a firm diagnosis before assuming anything identification (that's teacher-speak for label) wise.

If nothing else, it's a damn good read, and illuminating for anyone who has had personal experience with people with AS (or any form of autism). The author worked previously with people who had autism spectrum disorder, and although I can't say for sure (because I'm not autistic) he seems to have captured a voice, a perspective.

[bentnotbroken]

Thanks.. I would say that he is more like the second student.. strange sometimes.. can be aggressive.. extremely good in arts .. he is very shy and hates to be in public .. has absolutely no 'manners' in society.. and does not care about anyone.. in public, people look at him in strange ways but I can understand he looks very strange..

 

he has a lot of symptoms of this condition.. that's why I would like a psychiatrist to diagnose him..

 

thanks for the book.. I'll try to get it.

 

 

Lizzie the actions you describe are consistent with AS. How is your son with physical contact. With you or his father? Are there certain things that he has an absolute aversion to, almost hysterically so? AS is a for of autism, on the higher functioning end. Most of the AS individuals I have dealt with are extremely intelligent, love the arts or computers, are extremely visually stimulated, but hates crowds and breaks in routines. Other than the social aspect, most function quite well in society. America's Next Top Model even had a contestant last season with AS. I pray you get the info and the assistance you and your son need.

[Lizzie60]

Lizzie the actions you describe are consistent with AS. How is your son with physical contact. With you or his father? Are there certain things that he has an absolute aversion to, almost hysterically so? AS is a for of autism, on the higher functioning end. Most of the AS individuals I have dealt with are extremely intelligent, love the arts or computers, are extremely visually stimulated, but hates crowds and breaks in routines. Other than the social aspect, most function quite well in society. America's Next Top Model even had a contestant last season with AS. I pray you get the info and the assistance you and your son need.

 

I read quite a bit on this subject today (internet) and I am more and more convinced that he has AS for sure... he's got sooo many symptoms, it's unbelievable.. he is smart... very artistic... but cannot function in society. he is not close to either his dad or myself.. except when he needs money.. (the only time he calls) he cannot hold a job so his dad and I are financially supporting him.. and I am starting to think that we will be for most of his life.

 

Thanks for your prayers..

[Green]

you should probably just stop suporting him

[Miranda]

I work as an educator at a private school that handles exclusively children with developmental disabilities whose behaviors prevent them from finding success in traditional school environments. The vast majority of the student body are children with autism spectrum disorders including Asperger's Syndrome. There are a lot of misconceptions about autism/Asperger's floating around out there, and I see quite a few on this thread (unsurprising, since little is understood about the spectrum overall, even by professionals).

 

Things that stood out to me on this thread:

 

1. The notion that Asperger's is an emotional disorder, or, to quote a poster "popular mental condition." It's a pervasive developmental disorder, not a mental illness. People don't develop autism, if they have it, they've had it all their lives. It's generally only discovered when children begin to get to the point where they should be reaching the communicative developmental milestones, and the barriers become apparent. But an adult with Asperger's has always had Asperger's. And if it seems "popular," it's because of two possible factors - increase in prevalence, and increase in prevalence of diagnoses. Not too long ago, people with AS were just considered "weird." Now they're being properly identified and being given more options for ways to manage the disorder.

 

2. The notion that Asperger's or other autism spectrum disorders can be cured - there are no known cures for autism at present, partially because there are no known causes at present. They are generally accepted to be neurophysical in nature - i.e. not mental illnesses (although a person can certainly be both autistic and mentally ill, but being autistic is not being mentally ill). There is no cure for Asperger's or any autism. There is intensive behavior therapy, intervention, and behavioral analysis, however, that can greatly increase a person with an autism spectrum disorder's ability to communicate effectively and more easily navigate through life with greater independence than if they did not have these available to them. All autism spectrum disorders can be managed to some degree with varieties of therapy and intensive social skill and life skill training - but this is not a cure. It's a way of working with the disorder. The idea that a person can manage a pervasive developmental disability without any support is wrong.

 

2. The concept that Asperger's kids/adults "can be very smart." Asperger's Syndrome is a form of autism explicitly marked by high intelligence - so they generally ARE very smart. AS differs from other forms of autism in that there is generally not a learning disability, and there is not a language development delay - it's nonverbal communication, not verbal, where people with AS have problems. Nonverbal cues, figurative language and interpretation, all present problems. People with AS are literalists, communicating using subtext is typically a problem. People with AS's intelligence is manifested, ordinarily, however, in isolated areas on which they become expert (obsessing on certain topics of interest anc complete disinterest in areas that don't fall in those categories). Social skills need to be taught by rote example and cemented and reinforced by repetition, they don't naturally occur and are not picked up easily by people with Asperger's. Functioning in a socially appropriate manner is generally the result of a ton of work and practice, rather than something that comes naturally.

 

There's more, of course, but that's just off the top of my head.

 

I always recommend reading things written by Temple Grandin.