sweetsouthern Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 obviously i will be bringing this up to the pschy since i just realized this these last few days, but we dont seem him again for almost 3 months and i wanted to do some research ahead of time. so any ideas?? my dd is 10, very immature for her age. she has been dx'd adhd since she was 3. she was only medicted for the 1st time last year. she is currently taking intuniv 4mg ( and i dont think this is do to the mediciene, sh has ALWAYS been like this). her main adhd symptoms are severe impulsivity, lack of focus and easily frustrated. the meds help all that. she can get VERY angry, still can. as for learning disabilities, she isnt dx'd but im certain enough that she has mild dyslexia and dysgraphia. ok. now the problem. she is a rather emotionless child. always has been. for example on christmas morning, no excitement, she just opens presents and smiles. this past christmas, someone gave us a WII. dear friends of ours. the handed it to her and she opened it... granted i was in tears at the sweetness of the gift. she opened it and smiled and i had to remind her to even say thank you! (btw, she has wanted one for about 3 years and we havent been able to afford it... so this is something she REALLY wanted!). she doesnt exhibit much in the way of love either. i mean she will give you a hug or say i love you, but theres no emotion behind it. shes been in situations where someone was having a heartattack and where everyone around her was in serious panic and she is playing on the ipod 3 feet away. later asked what the heck and she just shrugged her shoulders. the one emotion she does exhibit and quite often is anger! she can get very mad! as a child even up at 5 and 6 she would have tantrums so bad i would have to hold her from hitting her head and such and she could throw my back out they were so bad. once in public someone called 911 on her to come help me. anyways.. any ideas?? im not sure i like the thought her like this lol! and if theres anything we can do about it (therapy anything) i would like to do it while shes still younger. thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 You just described an autism spectrum disorder. You need to get your hands on "Asperger's and Girls" by Tony Attwood and read ASAP! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 :iagree: that's where I would start looking. The only caution I have is to consider trying to distinguish between the expression of emotion and the experience of the emotion itself. Not everyone likes to demonstrate the emotions that they feel while they are feeling them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 :iagree: that's where I would start looking. The only caution I have is to consider trying to distinguish between the expression of emotion and the experience of the emotion itself. Not everyone likes to demonstrate the emotions that they feel while they are feeling them. :iagree: This is precisely what I would say, including the caution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 My older son has auditory processing and sensory processing problems and he is very flat in his effect. His reactions sound very similar to those you describe for your daughter.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetsouthern Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 wait.. lol! so this would possibly be aspergers syndrome?? and hunting for that book now! :) can someone point me to a good resource with other aspie symptoms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdalley Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Anything by Temple Grandin. See if you can rent the HBO movie as well. I'm re-reading 'Thinking in Pictures' and she does a good job of describing what it is like to be on the spectrum and be female. I see similarities between all three of mine and her in different ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Temple Grandin is a phenomenal person, but she does not have Asperger's Syndrome. She has classic Autism. For books to read about Asperger's.. Anything by Tony Attwood is good. To get a better idea of whether or not your daughter meets the criteria for Asperger's, you could do a google search for "DSM-IV Asperger's" and see if she meets the criteria listed there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdalley Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Temple Grandin is a phenomenal person, but she does not have Asperger's Syndrome. She has classic Autism. For books to read about Asperger's.. Anything by Tony Attwood is good. To get a better idea of whether or not your daughter meets the criteria for Asperger's, you could do a google search for "DSM-IV Asperger's" and see if she meets the criteria listed there. I understand that but the things she describes are very close to what I see in the one of mine who has Asperger's. My other two have high functioning autism. I in no way meant to mislead the OP. I find Temple's books a valuable source. Temple's books do give some insight into some of the ways people on the spectrum see the world. Much of what she has experienced I had also. Particularly the anxiety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetsouthern Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 thank u so mcuh everyone! please continue with all the info! im reading and researching as they come! ... i did start another thread though on another question, if those of you could see there an answer if you have an ideas: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2346243#post2346243 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnitaMcC Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 You just described an autism spectrum disorder. You need to get your hands on "Asperger's and Girls" by Tony Attwood and read ASAP! Good luck! :iagree::iagree: Definitely check into Aspergers/Autism Spectrum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetsouthern Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 she clearly has every symptom of aspergers i can find ... except 2. her speech isnt very flat, shes actually quite bubbly when she talks. even if theres not a lick of emotion behind it. and she isnt clumsy. everything else both dh and i agree is her. and well... dh as well LOL! we did already know he is ADD though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 she clearly has every symptom of aspergers i can find ... except 2. her speech isnt very flat, shes actually quite bubbly when she talks. even if theres not a lick of emotion behind it. and she isnt clumsy. everything else both dh and i agree is her. and well... dh as well LOL! we did already know he is ADD though... Girls with Asperger's often do quite well with imitating others speech patterns and mannerisms. Do you speak in a bubbly voice? Perhaps she is imitating you? All the literature about Asperger's is mainly on how a boy would present with Asperger's symptoms. That's why it's important for you to read the Asperger's and Girls book by Tony Attwood. Not all Aspies will have flat, monotonous speech.. Especially the girls. And only one of my Aspie girls is clumsy (my 10yr old). My 7yr old's body is "all over the place", bumping into things, etc.. but I wouldn't describe her as clumsy. I would have been diagnosed with Asperger's as a child if it had been more known back then. I was exactly like your daughter. When I would open Christmas presents, I did not say anything or even smile. I remember being happy that I got the gift.. I just couldn't produce outward emotion to reflect how I was feeling. I remember one year my mother telling me to try to act happy when I open my presents at my grandmother's house. I just could not produce emotion for anything. I was like a robot. I didn't talk unless it was about horses. I was obsessed with horses. Had a lot of social issues, sensory issues, attention issues, etc. Anyway, it's not a devastating diagnosis by any means. I still have trouble today, but I have grown into my Asperger's well enough to pretend to be normal for the most part. But I can't socialize too much or too often or else things get hard for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetsouthern Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 Girls with Asperger's often do quite well with imitating others speech patterns and mannerisms. Do you speak in a bubbly voice? Perhaps she is imitating you? All the literature about Asperger's is mainly on how a boy would present with Asperger's symptoms. That's why it's important for you to read the Asperger's and Girls book by Tony Attwood. Not all Aspies will have flat, monotonous speech.. Especially the girls. And only one of my Aspie girls is clumsy (my 10yr old). My 7yr old's body is "all over the place", bumping into things, etc.. but I wouldn't describe her as clumsy. I would have been diagnosed with Asperger's as a child if it had been more known back then. I was exactly like your daughter. When I would open Christmas presents, I did not say anything or even smile. I remember being happy that I got the gift.. I just couldn't produce outward emotion to reflect how I was feeling. I remember one year my mother telling me to try to act happy when I open my presents at my grandmother's house. I just could not produce emotion for anything. I was like a robot. I didn't talk unless it was about horses. I was obsessed with horses. Had a lot of social issues, sensory issues, attention issues, etc. Anyway, it's not a devastating diagnosis by any means. I still have trouble today, but I have grown into my Asperger's well enough to pretend to be normal for the most part. But I can't socialize too much or too often or else things get hard for me. oh perfect! i checked out the website before, and i have that on my list to see if my library has the book here in a few minutes, if not im going to checak amazon or ebay for it!! thanks so much!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.