To be relieved at an ASD diagnosis

[MrsBB1982]

Posting for traffic I guess.

There's a lot of back story but my DS has hard a hard time with school including being taken out for a while before restarting at a new school.

At his old school we were made to feel he was just plain naughty and we needed to discipline him more words like violent, unruly, disruptive, unempathetic and unkind were used...about a 4 year old. It was heartbreaking.

His new school have been great. They took us aside and suggested this was not just naughtiness but something else.

They were right. He's been diagnosed with mild Aspergers syndrome. Since the diagnosis and some measures have been put in place he's been showing himself to be the wonderful boy we know and love at school as well as at home. We've seen him laugh and joke in a way we've never seen before.

I thought I'd be so sad at the diagnosis but I feel so guilty that I'm not. I'm relirked, almost happy. Surely that's not the right response?

Mistress please research HFA and Aspergers and then withdraw your 20.48 post. The content of it is just plain wrong.

Autism is such a popular topic for trolls ATM. An extra new trend for errant misinformation on top of that would be teeth gnashingly frustrating.

Come on, Manumission. I think we all know what she means here.

The people interrogating the OP just SOD OFF.
OP so glad you have got this diagnosis I know exactly how you feel.

Don't get hung up on the terminology. If you feel Aspergers fits your DS then use it. Many lay people still use and understand it to mean high functioning autism spectrum disorder.

He sounds very teachable, OP. That may be a better phrase to use than mild. Autism is all pervasive and mild is a bit misleading as high functioning people with autism can still be very much affected.

Look after yourself. It probably feels like vindication against that first crap school when your parenting was being doubted and your DS being labelled with all those negative attributes. But you will have good days and bad days when the DX sinks in. We are 14 years in to DS2's DX and at 17yo I can't imagine him any other way, but initially I still mourned for the DS I thought I had.

im glad you have got a diagnosis if you think it will help your understanding of your ds's behaviours. I felt a mixture of emotions when my ds was diagnosed at 12 with AS. At the time I understood the difference between HFA and AS to be around verbal ability - HFA being associated with HFA. I did feel relieved and vindicated but also incredibly guilty that I had let him down somehow, and also terribly sad for my DB who I believe is positioned on the spectrum and has had a very sad life.

Manumission you are being far too heavy-handed in my opinion.

OP I am glad your son has a dx that you feel is positive and useful for you, sounds like it has been a long road to get there.

For goodness sake! The OP made a post saying she was relieved about a diagnosis. She didn't come on here to be questioned FFS.

OP I'm glad your DS is now getting the support he needs at school and you have a diagnosis now.

You may want to repost in the SN boards OP, generally that's a safer place!

Aspergers is definitely still used as a diagnosis in some areas.

Whether or not the word 'mild' was used in the diagnosis, autism affects people differently and to different extents in different areas of their lives.

And yes, I agree about SN boards!

I do sometimes feel the need on these threads to point out that ASD is partly genetic and a seeming lack of empathy can be a behaviour. So have a bit of tolerance for posters please. On both sides of the argument!

Sorry Eek I'm just sick to the back teeth of autism being a soft target for goady fuckery and madey uppy bollocks.

And DD has had a whole load of hassle come to a head this week because of a sessional teacher who thinks she doesn't have to observe the requirements of an ECHP because he seems to believe all this -frankly bizarre - "mild Asperger" mythology.

So it does to harm when this folksy, inaccurate stuff goes mainstream.

I understand how you feel OP, we have known for a long time that DS was on the spectrum but to have someone else say it made me happy and sad in equal measure.
Hopefully you and your son can now access the support you need.

Manumission I think you need to lay off the OP who has asked for advice not bitching about correct terms.

Suddenly this thread has become about manu and her DD.

YANBU. So NBU.

I got a diagnosis for myself last month at 34. It's like a curtain has been lifted. I feel bloody overjoyed, so I'm not surprised you feel relieved for your DS

BTW I am more than happy to admit I am wrong/misunderstood the paediatrician at the time - It was a while ago and there was a lot of information being put my way.

I'm sure OP feels the same way.

There is no reason for anyone to be so unforgivingly unpleasant about it.

I'm just sick to the back teeth of autism being a soft target for goady fuckery and madey uppy bollocks.

I think you are directing your anger at the wrong place. The op hasn't done anything wrong.

Sorry, your thread has gone this way, MrsBB.

I hope you can come back and chat some more without all the bullshit.

Sloane my diagnosis last month was Aspergers/ASD as it's all going to be classed as ASD some time soon but for now either is acceptable.

OP, I also felt relieved. I stood in the kitchen of Elliot House with Lorna Wing and said thank you very much, you don't know how happy I am to hear this. It was my son being diagnosed.

And don't worry about getting to grips with all the terminology etc. You're not in a race and it will come to you in time.

I'm sorry you've had a baptism of fire here tonight. Some people just can't bloody help themselves.