Autism

[AprilB79]

I also have a son who is high functioning autistic with ADHD. We started noticing he was slower at some things around pre-school age and he was tested for ADHD at that time but we were told he was too young to even do anything. Kindergarten year was horrible. We did everything we could for him, diet change, teacher switched desks, among other various things. We finally decided on medicine. We saw our pediatrician we referred us to a behavioral health clinic. The assessment tests and questions were long. At that point they confirmed he was indeed ADHD and was prescribed a low dose of medicine. By the time all this was done the school year was almost over. We held him back a year and last year he excelled at everything. Then we started noticing the other things. Obsessive compulsive things. He is a neat freak. Everything has to have its own place. And routine is a must! Which I had to also learn. At lunch his food has to go in certain spots on the tray, he has certain pencils he will only use. He is in Special Education classes for speech and fine motor skills and when he gets something wrong, its a meltdown. And boy can that kid hold a grudge and not forget a thing. But also, he is super smart, math is a breeze and he can put a lego city together in no time. He is also super food driven so weight was an issue. He was just recently diagnosed with the high functioning autism. It's been a journey, I'm just glad our school has been so easy to work with him. Don't give up on searching for answers. And if you do go with a medicine route, it may take a few tries.

 

[Alicia G]

Hi there. I live in a family that are all on the autistic spectrum. So I have lived with it all my life. I have ADHD (so does my mother), my twin Aspergers syndrome as well as my father having Aspergers as well. And my little brother (whom I help raise) is Autistic. When he was four, we were told he had moderate autism, and he was most likely deaf and would probably never learn to talk and we would be lucky to potty train him.... fast forward over 10 years and he he now considered high functioning and goes to school and does well. Grade 6 this year, and he is passing all the doctors expect ions in leaps and strides. Yes it has taken some work, but through a modified diet and being fairly strict, he is a whole new person. you can carry on a full conversation with him, and even though he still has his moments, it would be hard to believe that my brother at one point couldn't talk, hear or even feel pain (broke his leg and didn't cry once for example)
Best of luck to you!
Alicia

 

[zzGypsy]

I have ADHD. My parents chose not to have it treated with meds but instead found ways to keep me busy such as tutoring. I tended to get things done waaaay faster than others and then needed a new way to keep myself busy so that I didn't become disruptive. It required a LOT of patience from my parents and to this day (I'm now 25) I still get frustrated if I become bored or work too fast and then have to find something new to keep myself occupied.
With ADHD, crafts and long projects are always a really good idea. That's half the reason I started quilting and sewing. It keeps my hands and mind busy so that I don't lose my mind (at least that's how it feels).
Your son does have some autistic traits (I've worked with kids with developmental difficulties) but I think he may have Asbergers and not Autism. Asbergers is like autisms high functioning cousin. These types of people tend to be very smart in some areas (like with electronics or animals) and slow to develop in other areas (such as speach). The biggest thing I've noticed about kids with Asbergers is that they need structure and scheduling. Do not surprise them with something new. Tell them at least a day in advance and over again so that they can adjust to what's coming and get themselves ready for it.
They tantrum more if they get uspet or surprised. During those tantrums, they need to be hugged and assured that they will be okay. Sometimes it's good for them to help plan the next day's activites. It helps them feel more in control of themselves and their surroundings and it is also another way for them to prepare for the next day's plans.
Just an idea you might want to consider.
PM if you want any more ideas. I probably have a million LoL

as an Aspberger myself, this sounds right. it can be a very individual constellation of symptoms - in my case, sensitivity to sound, dislike for certain textures, some sensory overlap (complex jazz music makes me physically itch), difficulty recognizing faces, some obsessive focus, particularly on learning everything about my current subject of interest. I have some specific ways I prefer to learn (I sit in the front right corner of the classroom, so the instructor is in my left periferal vision). I had tons of fears growing up, it's been a lifelong challenge to resolve that (and not done yet) and have huge anxiety over things that scare me. I react with anxiety to change, although I'm very good at managing it. I dislike starting something new, but become obsessively absorbed once I do.

aspies can get stopped dead in their tracks by an obsticle but when they find solutions they are clever - the oreo thing *totally* makes sense to me.

probably knew he wasn't supposed to eat the cookies without permission. so he complied by not eating the WHOLE cookie, just the filling. after all, you didn't tell him not to eat the FILLING. that would be perfect aspberger's thinking.

not sure what I can offer other than my observations, but if you have questions, feel free to ask anything.

 

[EweSheep]

My daughter is seven years old, ADHD with Aspergers, was DX last year and she has been on meds since then. We tested her without the meds, boy, did it go all over the chart.

We are still struggling with dd, with her tween age attitude and bored with everything at school and at home. It is so challenging to keep her occupied and busy or she would have a total meltdown. Frustrating!

Hubby has that issue too, his mother gave up on him trying to teach him or do anything with him so she just let him go whatever he wants and so forth until he got older. His reasoning skills are very poor, reads people emotions and certain language skills wrong and lack of empathy picked up on him. DD is the same way, very impulsive, demanding perfection and if yo udont keep her on a schedule, it is hard to get her back into the groove. She has alot of bad days more than good days due to the change of medications.

At this age, she is still wetting her bed. When she goes back to the doctor, I will mention it to the doc to see if there is a medical reason for it.

 

[Capvin]

I wonder if any of you here saw the program on 60 minutes on January 15. It features an autistic 13 year old boy who will be graduating from Purdue/Indiana college with a degree in higher math and physics. He then plans to go on for his PHD. Autisim takes several forms.

 

[Rachel96]

Hi, I'm a little late but I just wanted to put my two cents in. It sounds to me like your son has Asperger's. I'm not an expert but I do have Asperger's myself, my sister is PDD-NOS and father is HFA. He could just have PDD-NOS though (once the DSM-VI comes it, it will all be Autism Spectrum anyway, so does it matter?) - this means he would have a lot of autistic traits but not enough for a diagnosis, or not the 'main' ones that people think every autistic kid should have.

 

[EweSheep]