Relieved

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I finally took my ds1 to one of the most well respected child psychologists in the city yesterday, after years of struggling with what to do. She diagnosed him with Asberger's Syndrome once and for all. On the advice of the pediatrician, I had taken him to a neurologist, who said he had coordination problems and anxiety disorder. Then, after the horrible two years he spent at school, I took him to a licensed social worker therapist, who said she couldn't really diagnose him as one thing- he displayed Asberger tendencies, OCD tendencies and general anxiety tendencies. She recommended I get a second opinion (other than her own) after her dealings with the school psychologist.

 

The person we saw yesterday was awesome. After 2 hours with me and ds1, she said, "Your son has Asberger's Syndrome." I said, "That's kind of what I thought after all the reading I've done, but everyone always told me no because he's too social." She said, "He's social, but he's not reciprocal." That finally made sense to me after all this time. She hooked me up with various resources that can help him learn to cope with his issues.

 

I'm so relieved to finally be able to tell people why he does the "weird" things he does. And to know that there are things I can do to help him get along much better in this world.

[Shawneinfl]

So glad you finally have a diagnosis.

 

Shawne

[Beth in OH]

She said, "He's social, but he's not reciprocal." That finally made sense to me after all this time. She hooked me up with various resources that can help him learn to cope with his issues.

 

Could you elaborate on this part? I deal with an adult who has some Aspergers characteristics, and the phrase "social, but not reciprocal" rings true to me. I want to understand what a professional meant by it, though. I'm also looking for any good Aspergers reading you could recommend.

[MariannNOVA]

What a relief for you:). Getting a diagnosis is a huge thing.

[Perry]

Could you elaborate on this part? I deal with an adult who has some Aspergers characteristics, and the phrase "social, but not reciprocal" rings true to me. I want to understand what a professional meant by it, though. I'm also looking for any good Aspergers reading you could recommend.

Here is a form for evaluating Reciprocal Social Interaction. It will give you an idea of what kinds of behaviors are involved.

Some other Asperger's rating scales are here.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Here is a form for evaluating Reciprocal Social Interaction. It will give you an idea of what kinds of behaviors are involved.

Some other Asperger's rating scales are here.

 

Super! I couldn't have added anything better.

 

My son, for example, is very outgoing, not shy, will talk to people ad nauseum about Star Wars, etc. He does this while pacing back and forth and not making eye contact. He loves running around with other kids, but when it comes to actually playing, he still prefers to play peripherally rather than interacting. If he does want to really play with other kids, they have to be able to fit into the elaborate scenario he has imagined, or he has a meltdown and doesn't want to play anymore. My younger son has to bribe him to play what younger son wants to play. Older son will agree to the "deal", but will only play what younger one wants to play for a max of 5 minutes before being totally done with that. He repeats things over and over and over without any recognition that his listener has lost interest.

 

A book that the psychologist recommended for my dh (who exhibits some of these tendencies himself) is Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome by L.H. Wiley

[Beth in OH]

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Perry and Lynn! The checklists are perfect, and a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I am not crazy. The relational things I see in my family member are real, and while they don't rise to the level of Aspergers (other traits are missing), they are still definitely there.

 

The title of the book, "Pretending to be Normal" describes what I have often seen my loved one doing. Now I feel like I have a direction in understanding this person's behavior.

 

This board is 'da bomb!

[Lisa in Jax]

I finally took my ds1 to one of the most well respected child psychologists in the city yesterday, after years of struggling with what to do. She diagnosed him with Asberger's Syndrome once and for all. On the advice of the pediatrician, I had taken him to a neurologist, who said he had coordination problems and anxiety disorder. Then, after the horrible two years he spent at school, I took him to a licensed social worker therapist, who said she couldn't really diagnose him as one thing- he displayed Asberger tendencies, OCD tendencies and general anxiety tendencies. She recommended I get a second opinion (other than her own) after her dealings with the school psychologist.

 

The person we saw yesterday was awesome. After 2 hours with me and ds1, she said, "Your son has Asberger's Syndrome." I said, "That's kind of what I thought after all the reading I've done, but everyone always told me no because he's too social." She said, "He's social, but he's not reciprocal." That finally made sense to me after all this time. She hooked me up with various resources that can help him learn to cope with his issues.

 

I'm so relieved to finally be able to tell people why he does the "weird" things he does. And to know that there are things I can do to help him get along much better in this world.

 

Now that you know what the issues are, you might enjoy going to an autism conference. I've been to some AWESOME conferences sponsored by AutismOne. They have seminars on sensory issues, dietary and biomedical treatments, etc. They might be worth considering if you'd like even more resources for your kids. :)

 

http://www.autismone.com

 

Lisa