Aspergers??

[Airy]

I'm new to all of this and know very little about aspergers, though I do suspect it fits my dd from what I have read.
I've googled a lot but find myself getting confused and bombarded with a LOT of information so thought I'd ask on here for general info from those that really know :) if no-one minds giving it.
I'd really just like to know the typical characterisitcs, how did you know your child had aspergers?

Thanks

[rummum]

Hello Airy... my daughter is 9 and is going through the assessment process for Aspergers. I was concerned that she had dyspraxia, althought the teachers just dismissed the idea... one said she can't be dyspraxic as she can use a ruler!!!..
Daughter had a lot of problems in the class with
no organisation skills
lack of concentration
couldn't follow a list of instructions
can't copy from the board
hypermobility in her fingers which made it hard to hold a pencil and write,
poor memory and forgot things she learnt from one week to the next....

Anyway to cut a long story short she had a massive wobbler before she went into year 5, she threatened to kill herself, said she hated herself and was punching her head, pulling out her hair and scratching her face... this was a dreadful time...
the educational phycologest (sp) was called in and she said daughter had aspergers tendencies...
she asked if daughter was affectionate... DH and I looked at each other and said NO
Did she show emotion/ empathy....DH and I looked at each other and said NO
Did she have pretend play... DH and I looked at each other and said NO

Daughter was seeing a OT.. who refered us to our local CAMHS (childrens, adolecent, mental health service)... who assessed daughter 2 weeks ago, it was a 2 and a half hour appointment with a speech and language therapist, and phycologist, present (she was even viewed by 2 other people from behind a 2 way mirror!!)

They now want to see daughter in her school environment to see how she interacts with her friends.... they said they need to see what is Dyspraxia and what is Aspergers as there is a big over lap in symptoms.. (she now has a dx for dyspraxia)

my DD is very quiet at home.. she doesn't do chit chat if fact she forgets to say hello to DH when he comes home from work! she say's she knows hes there!
she doesn't do cuddles, affection,
can be very emotional.. ie
happy ---> ballistic in 0.3 seconds...
all her toys are functional... she loves her music keyboard and the computer, but never played with dollies.
she takes things very litrally.. when I said to her recently "its like getting blood out of a stone" she said has a stone got blood in it then!

some AS children are really obsessive about things, DD has short bursts where she lives and breathes things but it doesn't last that long..
some AS children like routine DD isn't too bad but then I am a very routine person myself...

anyway Airy... sorry for rambling on...how old is your daughter?

[Airy]

Thanks rummum, it's alot more useful to hear people's experience than read through endless webpages :)
DD is just five, and it's only very recently that I've been really noticing things, they've always been there but a lot more noticable now she's at school etc.
Those three things you mentioned you'd been asked are very true of DD, no pretend play, not affectionate at all and no empathy.
The routine thing threw me a bit because DD is very flexible and routine really isn't a problem at all.
She's also very literal although I think it's quite hard to pinpoint that because I think small children are quite literal anyway
The reason I'm starting to worry now is things seem to be worsening somewhat with DD, she's been in school since September and hasn't really formed any friendships, she just doesn't seem to know how to socialise with the other children and when she does talk to them she talks only about dogs (major major obsession with dogs atm) and they don't really understand her.
She'll talk right over people talking about something completely different, and if you ask her something she'll disregard what you've said and start talking about dogs - again! (I'm seriously sick and tired of hearing about them now!)

Sorry that's turned into something of an essay!
I'd appreciate any thoughts though :)

[Blossomhill]

Airy:-

Triad of symptoms seen typically in Aspergers \link{http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=458&a=5489\here} and another useful link \link{http://aspergertips.com\here}

[Airy]

Thanks blossomhill, those sites are really useful.

[Airy]

Has anyone else got any other thoughts or info? I'd really appreciate any input :)

Thanks

[jerikaka]

My ds is currently being looked at to see if he has aspergers (he's two and a half). He is very sensitive to the noise of babies and children, which i have heard even teenagers with aspergers don't like. That's how we ended up seeing a pead anyway. She thinks some of his other behaviour is symptomatic of as. I am very confused by the whole range of different traits and am really not sure whether he has it or not. My dh and i have decided that only an expert can diagnose him. One thing I have found useful was a booklet by the National autistic soicety. I think it's called learning resources for parents of autistic children. I think it gives really good explanations of the different traits and what the autistic spectrum is. hope that helps, i'm still very new to it too.

[jerikaka]

My ds is currently being looked at to see if he has aspergers (he's two and a half). He is very sensitive to the noise of babies and children, which i have heard even teenagers with aspergers don't like. That's how we ended up seeing a pead anyway. She thinks some of his other behaviour is symptomatic of as. I am very confused by the whole range of different traits and am really not sure whether he has it or not. My dh and i have decided that only an expert can diagnose him. One thing I have found useful was a booklet by the National autistic soicety. I think it's called learning resources for parents of autistic children. I think it gives really good explanations of the different traits and what the autistic spectrum is. hope that helps, i'm still very new to it too.

[PeachyClair]

My ds also in the system. He has extremely literal labguage, has over reactions to sensory things (eg lights) andneeds a routine. He shows emotion to dh and I but that's it. He doesn't like to be touched, doesn't get jokes, can't relate consequences to actions, and has problems with what BIBIC call word finding.

He also has a very violent temper when he overloads, but that's not true of allAS kids, though is more common than some will ahve you believe.

[coppertop]

I have 2 boys on the autistic spectrum. Ds1 (5yrs) has a diagnosis of high-functioning autism/AS and ds2 (3yrs) has a dx of AS.

Ds1's big obsession is his computer game. Apart from playing it he also likes to talk about every little detail.

Both boys have sensory problems. Ds2 dislikes wearing clothes and has a tendency to strip off without warning. Both boys hate noise, particularly people singing. Ds1 hates the light. Ds2 hates the dark. Ds1 also has very sensitive hands, although this has improved a lot over the years.

Neither boy seems to need much sleep, although ds1 is much better than he used to be.

Ds1 is very passive in general but can still explode into an absolute rage. Ds2 is very volatile. He can go from giggles to fury and back again in minutes.

Both boys need routine and have to know what is happening next.

Both boys can be very affectionate on their own terms.

[Airy]

Thanks everyone, it really does help hearing about people's experiences.
Coppertop DD has very senstive hands too, has been funny about them ever since she was tiny and will flip out if she gets anything on them or if someone tries to hold her hand.
I realise the only way to find out for sure is to see a professional, I asked for a referral from the GP and have an app in June with the community pead, so hopefully we can get some opinions from him about whats going on with her.
There is so much to aspergers isn't there, DD's traits it seems to me fit with aspergers but then I read of others and it doesn't fit dd at all e.g the routine thing.
It's all very confusing!

[amynnixmum]

Tony Attwood's book 'Aspergers Syndrome: A guide for parents and professionals' is good. We got a copy when the paed told us that he thinks ds has AS.

[Tiggiwinkle]

My DS is 7 and has a dx of AS. (He was dx last year when he was 6)
I think there is a lot of variation within the syndrome, Airy-my DS does not exhibit every trait either.
He tends to have a lot of anxietes and he certainly does like routine. Any variation can make him very anxious (even for "nice" things like Christmas).
He also has sensory isues-hates wearing clothes, loud noises and so on.
One of our main problems is with food-very (and I mean very) limited range of foods he will tolerate.
He was diagnosed when he failed to cope with the transition from reception to year 1 at school and his anxieties beacmes unmanageable.

[macwoozy]

Hi Airy, my ds was diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder when he was 3, he couldn't speak much at all then, hence why they didn't dx him with AS at the time. His vocabulary has improved now [he's 5, 6 next week]but he does find it very hard to communicate effectively with his peers, so perhaps if he had a dx now, it might be AS.
He can't understand many simple games like football or hide and seek (jumps out before they've found him), but gets really frustrated becasue he's aware that he finds all this so difficult.
My ds doesn't follow all the typical traits, he's more happier when following routine but he won't get overly upset if he can't. He does tend to get obssesive about particular things, but these change quite regularly.

He is aggressive, quick tempered and easily frustrated. He would love to have a proper little friend, but he just hasn't got the social skills yet to gain and maintain one. Someone once described him as very egocentric. He is loving and is very cuddly but only when he wants to. He is unable to empathize, if I cry he might get angry, hit me or just ignore me. He can't get jokes at all, and gets very anxious when people suddenly start laughing around him.
My ds also has semsory issues, but at it's becoming more noticeable the older he's becoming. His diet is very limited, a real headache, he's just been referred to a dietician so fingers crossed she might be able to suggest a few ideas.

[coppertop]

Ds1's pre-school and now his school have done a lot to help with his hands. He used to literally fall flat on his face because he wouldn't even use his hands to break his fall.

The pre-school gradually offered different textures for him to touch. Eventually he was able to do things like touch shaving cream, even though he had to wipe his hands straight after. As he'd gone so long without using them, ds1's hands are fairly weak. His school has helped him with strenthening exercises. This in turn has helped his pencil control and handwriting.

I think it can be hard to generalise too much about AS traits. Ds1 and ds2 are similar in some ways but are also complete opposites in other ways. Ds1 is generally okay with small changes to routine as long as he's had some warning. People are often lulled into a false sense of security as a lot of the time you wouldn't even notice that he has any difficulties. It's the bad days that act as reminders that he has SN.