Tell me some signs of Aspergers in a 4 year old, please?

[BlueSprite]

Sometimes I wonder if DS might possibly be on the spectrum. Preschool have not suggested this, but they do feel there is room for improvement with regards to his ability to mix with the other children. This came as a bit of a surprise to me, as he plays imaginatively and enthusiastically with his similarly-aged cousin (who is a bright and creative child, so arguably adept at jollying him along, although I don't see much evidence of her needing to do this).

Preschool have said that DS talks at a level above the other children, in a very grown-up manner. I think he is quite a serious chap there. He is very playful at home, however. He is an only child who doesn't mix regularly with other children other than at preschool and the odd playdate.

Are there any tests or questions I can ask him?

Thanks so much.

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

Is he your only child?

[BlueSprite]

Thanks for replying :) Yes he is.

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

www.firstsigns.org/downloads/m-chat.PDF

The above questionnaire will have to be done in hindsight about behaviours you may have seen up until the age of 3ish.

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

Here are some more red flags for a child of your child's age.


Ignores other children
• Doesn’t respond to people outside the family
• Shows no interest in make believe or pretending games
• Can’t retell a favorite story
• Doesn’t follow 3-step directions
• Doesn’t use “you” and “me” correctly
• Doesn’t understand “same” and “different”
• Speaks unclearly
• Doesn’t scribble or has trouble scribbling with a crayon
• Loses skills he/she once had
• Doesn’t show a wide range of emotions
• Shows behavioral extremes (unusually aggressive, fearful, sad, shy)
• Is unusually withdrawn and not active in social situations
• Is easily distracted and has trouble focusing on an activity for more than five minutes
• Doesn’t respond to people or responds only superficially
• Can’t tell the difference between real and make believe
• Doesn’t participate in a wide variety of games and activities
• Can’t give his/her first and last name
• Doesn’t use plurals, pronouns or past tense properly
• Doesn’t talk about daily activities
• Doesn’t draw pictures
• Loses skills he/she once had

[BlueSprite]

Thank you Starlight. None of these really apply to DS, although he did struggle with correctly applying 'you' and 'me' until he was about two and a half.

He was playing with his cousin last night and properly conversing, although I am not sure he does this at preschool (he tells me the other boys, apart from one, play too roughly and while he does sometimes play 'houses' with the girls, this isn't his favourite game so I can understand why he sometimes does his own thing)

Physically he is a little behind. He is very short, and not very strong. His muscles feel quite soft and chubby, although he is nowhere near overweight (have checked BMI). He was late to jump - nearly 3 - and was never a climber as a baby. He is much better now though still is not fond of climbing frames. He still can't pedal, but is good on his microscooter.

'Academically', he is reading and writing though, so maybe that is what he likes at the moment? Hmm, stuff to think about anyway.

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

Perhaps you could look up dyspraxia?

If you have 'niggles' however I would recommend that you research the symptoms of ASD, Dyspraxia, ADHD and other developmental disorders and make a list of them and any additional concerns which apply to your ds (it doesn't matter if they don't point to any one condition). For each one listed give a real life example and then go to your GP with the list and request a referral to a developmental paediatrician.

IMO and IME parental niggles shouldn't be ignored. It is entirely possible that a child has difficulties which if caught early enough can be either reversed or hugely helped by early intervention. Most early intervention has to be done by parents themselves, but a dx or assessment of difficulties gives good clues as to what might help.