Asperger Syndrome

[rugbyqueen99]

Hi, my name is Val. A friend recommended this site to me as she feels the answers to any questions I have regarding this topic will be found here.

Finally after 4 years of continuous assessments, my son H was diagnosed as having Aspergers Syndrome..........left me feeling a little blank. Don't know much about it and wasn't even sure if I'd heard about it before. Currently scouring the web to find more info about it. Can anyone help??

Cheers, Val

[coppertop]

Welcome to mumsnet.

For a good overview of what AS is, have a look at the NAS site here

[coppertop]

If you want to look at books on the subject then Tony Attwood's book is very good. If you want a more anecdotal book it's worth reading Luke Jackson's "Freaks, Geeks & Asperger's Syndrome". You can usually find these in the library.

There is also a lot of info in the mumsnet archives. If you click on "search all messages" at the top of the screen and put AS or Aspergers in the relevant box you should get a lot of threads/posts on the subject.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

www.nas.org.uk is the website for the National Autistic Society.

[coppertop]

second time lucky

[WellKnownMemorablePeachyClair]

Hi

My son Sam is stuck in the assessment system, but we know (gfrom books, experieince and a private clinic he goes to) that he has AS. He is 6, how old is your son?

The thing about AS is that the kids vary widely. Sam for instance is very talented vocally butc an't grasp reading / writing. he has the usual social disorders, but his main issue si aggression which is not typical of AS, but not exactly unknown either.

I would recommend the NAs too, if you phone they will send all manner of great things to you in the way of booklets etc. I also recommend considering www.bibic.org.uk as they have helped us and others on here, but using them is a personal thing.

There are several of us on here withAS kids but do feel free to CAT me if you need a chat or support. People did it for me with Sam (still do sometimes).

Take care and best wishes. X

[rugbyqueen99]

Many thanks to all of you for your advice and support.

Harry will turn 8 in August and like Sam, verbally he is right up there with his peers but when it comes to reading and writing, its just not happening although to his credit, there has been a massive improvement within the last year. He takes everything literally too, which can be quite funny at times, but being able to understand why, makes such a difference.

Since reading about AS, everything makes more sense. I feel much more at ease now, so thanks again

Val

[djtich]

the main thing is dont be frightened theres alot off famous and successful people with same!! Theres quite a bit of imformation out there on this keep researching as new things to help are always being discovered.

[sniff]

my little boy turned 8 in August and we have just got his assesment and he has aspergers and he sounds a lot like your son rugby queen but he doesnt show emotions either which makes his birthdays sad
he is also very clever with every thing else but reading but you need to read to take all the school test dont you

[zoe74]

my son was diagnosed with AS last september. it was a great releif as i had read up on autism and just needed it confirmed.He is 7 and in mainstream school. As expected we have playground issues as no one wants to play with him as they cant understand his games. we got alot of support from the hospital and information on our local autism branch. did you know you can apply for disability living allowance? also as my son is a bed wetter we get dry niotes free from our health visitor.

[porridge68]

I work in a SEN department at a primary school supporting children on the Autistic Spectrum. All of the children I have supported have done incredibly well. They tend to prefer the Numeracy/Science type subjects but do equally as well in the Literacy lessons. They struggle more with the friendship/emotional aspects of school. We have 2 programs that we follow with AS children, talkabout or socially speaking....both of these work on moods/facial expressions and friendship issues. Once they have been statemented they should also receive additional support within the classroom setting. Good luck x

[caroline3]

Hi guys I have been lurking on this board for ages. Now my son has finally received an AS diagnosis. I have a mixture of feelings as I am relieved that I finally have an answer as I have known there was something wrong ever since he was very little. However I am so sad for my lovely little boy (6). He finds making friends very hard and is often alone - however he has one very good friend at school who he sees for tea each week. His problems seem to be getting more obvious now he is getting older and I am so worried about how he is going to cope with life as a teenager and beyond.

I would love to chat to other mums in my situation. The paediatrician recommended Tony Atwoods book. I am also thinking of applying for a statement so ds gets more help at school. Does anyone have any experience of this?

[suedenley]

Hi val
My ds is 10 and AS with adhd ,all the books you have been recommended are excellent, as is the national autistic society. For help with claiming dla get onto cerebra who do an excellent booklet on exactly how to fill in the form as youll find its a mine field if you dont use the correct terms or get the right person to support you and if you get turned down appeal .
Get onto the school ask for a meeting with the head, the senco and the class teacher a statement may be what your aiming for but in the mean time he first needs to do school action and when that isnt proving useful its on to school action plus when outside agencys come in like cids the ed phych mental health worker etc and try to see if they can improve his time at school and give aditional suport for social and communication difficulties, it isnt until he has been down this route that he is likely to be assessed for a statement.Some days are really hard and thats where mumsnet comes in there is always someone here that can lend a friendly ear while you rant your frustrations or answer any questions that crop up along the way

Its scary when you first get a dx as suddenly you have a reason for why but no answers to what now, but what ever particular difficulties your son has rest assured your not alone and someone here is going through it too or has before and can offer support and advice good luck

[pepsi]

ds 6 saw paed this week, we were signed off last year as Dr didnt think he was on autistic/aspergers scale but didnt rule out add or dyspraxia. He is now in Year 2 and he still has poor concentration and needs a lot of 1 on 1 to get him to complete a task. He stands out from the crowd. The paed we saw this week said we need to know once and for all so she has requested assessment for autism/aspergers, we will have to wait 3/6 months for this. My first question is once they start this proceedure how long roughly should I expect it to be before diagnosis. He is fine at home, a bit quirky but no tantrums or difficulty going anywhere. He goes to swimming classes and beavers very happily, rides a bike, is great when we go to the dentist/doctor/optiticans, is very loving and laughs and funny things on the TV , knows right from wrong, loves to be cuddled. Does this sound like aspergers. I know he is different at school but are aspergers children like this. I had got it into my head that he was dysraxic as the symptons fit. Do they test for aspergers first and then do other tests for different conditions. Confused, upset and scared.

[pepsi]

sorry ive but this thread here my mistake.