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Original poster

aspergers

43 replies

lars · 27/02/2004 20:38

I am having difficulties at school with my child's behaviour not to mention the temper tantrums at home with the 'no' word.
School has requested an assessment and said that he may have aspergers although they are not really sure. His behaviour at school is at an all time low and he appears reluctant to learn but otherwise seeems bright.
What are the signs of aspergers he is 6yrs.

OP posts:
binkie · 27/02/2004 20:49

This seems helpful: AS-IF info - click on "what to look for".

It's difficult - hope all goes well for you.

coppertop · 27/02/2004 20:55

The signs tend to vary between each child but the usual ones would be things like:

  • Finding it difficult to interact with people, usually because they find it hard to 'read' people's faces.

  • Dislinking change from their normal routine, including always having to go by the same route if going somewhere.

  • Having an 'obsession' or two. Ds1 is very much into computers and helicopters;

  • Finding imaginative play hard or impossible, eg if you gave ds1 a tea set and a teddy bear he wouldn't have a clue about pretending that he is having a tea party with his toys.

  • Some have rituals that they have to follow eg ds1 HAS to bounce 4 times on a trampoline before he will get into bed.

Is there anything about his behaviour which you personally find odd?

coppertop · 27/02/2004 20:56

Oops! Meant to say "disliking" change.

Jimjams · 27/02/2004 20:57

and tantrums would be kicked off by things being "wrong". Eg dropping something, or not having matching clothes etc,

Jimjams · 27/02/2004 20:59

A good way would be to test theory of mind- the sally anne test. that should have developed by age 5, but usually hasn't in a child with AS. I'll link to it later

Davros · 28/02/2004 10:36

My AS sister has always had very poor eye contact, doesn't greet people, is clumsy, can't negotiate at all which leads to (adult) tantrums. OK, she's a bit older than your son by about 40 years! but these are the things that stand out most about her, especially the negotiating.

susanmt · 28/02/2004 13:23

Agree with all this (my brother has AS). Also social problems, unable to see 'distinctions' between people, treating everyone the same (e.g. my brother would get into trouble at school for 'tutting' if a teacher was late for class, but saw no issue with it himself as it was what a teacher would do to a pupil).
Collecting things obsessively, rituals, fascination with mechanical objects. Taking things literally (when older, not 'getting' jokes, sarcasm passing them by or being taken literally). hth

maryz · 28/02/2004 14:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mrsforgetful · 29/02/2004 22:09

Hi Lars- i have a 10yr old sone with Asoerger's and ADHD- and a 7 yr old that i believe (and treat as /describe him as) having Apergers- and a 4 yr old boy who is hopefully developing as he should!!! I am a worrier and frequently seek reassurance from posts on the Special needs threads- there are 4 or 5 'experts' on there and theres a few of us 'in training'.
As maryz said- popst a few things that we can start to help you on!

Original poster
lars · 01/03/2004 16:30

Thanks to everyone who has posted on this subject it has been a great help.
Kind of behaviour he shows, is that he appears withdrawn at school,doesn't like changing for PE and can be funny about what he wears. For example will only wear a school jumper with school logo on it. He tends to isolate himself from his peers, doesn't mind if he is on his own. He likes building especially likes watching 'bob the builder' and building programmes like 'DIY' or 'groundforce' a bit obsessive with it.
He doesn't talk much at school either and will not answer his name for register. When I asked him why, he just replied 'but they know I am here'.
He appears reluctant to want to say goodbye to his nan when she is going home after visiting us.
Again his behaviour seems rather odd at times and shows little interest in going to parties and shys away from teachers and family friends. Another obsession he has a complete fascination with anything with a wire attached like a mechanical object.
At school his behaviour has caused great distress to all concerned. Therefore you can image the difficulty he has had at school not conforming and the trouble he has been in, which means he is usually sent to the headmistress.

OP posts:
Davros · 01/03/2004 17:08

Lars, presumably you are waiting for the assessment now? Any idea what then? Have you looked at the NAS website? They have lots of info and run a parent training scheme called Help! for parents of children diagnosed a bit older and therefore quite likely to be Aspergers rather than autistic. I don't know if you need a diagnosis to access this, Dinosaur on our Special Needs boards has been on it recently and could tell you. I would also recommend finding out if there is a NAS branch near you. You'd get a lot of info and support from other local parents and there's no harm done in finding out. What general area do you live in?

Busybody · 01/03/2004 17:11

Sorry to butt in Lars, but your post has prompted me to ask about my friends child, too. (I have changed name. Wouldn't want her to know that I do have busybody concerns about her DS).
Age 6 he can be very aggressive, has patchy social skills. Is absolutely obsessed with windmills, reads about ones all over England, but is terrified to look at them in real life, and will not go near them. Also terrified of people wearing badges, and will not eat any food that he sees being cut up. (It is ok if it has been cut up out of sight before being put on his plate). My friend thinks he is just eccentric, I am worried that he culd do with some specialist help.

binkie · 01/03/2004 17:26

Busybody, I am a bit worried about my ds (see thread "Asperger's is ..." today under Special Needs) and what you say about your friend's ds would worry me more than my own son does. So I have to say I think you are right about it needing looking into.

binkie · 01/03/2004 17:29

PS it's the "fear-plus-fascination" that rings the alarm bell.

Original poster
lars · 01/03/2004 17:59

Davros thanks for that. I'm new to this site and still finding my way round. Would like to hear what Dinosaur thinks.
Busybody- Yes aggressive behaviour also rings a bell and has the school said anything about the child's behaviour at school?

OP posts:
Original poster
lars · 01/03/2004 18:02

Davros - By the way general area Essex.

OP posts:
Jimjams · 01/03/2004 18:56

lars - the thing that stands out to me is not answering his name because they know he is there:

Try the Sally Anne test on him:

Tell him there are 2 dolls (or even better set it up with dolls/teddies), Sally and Anne in a room together. There are 2 boxes one red, one blue. Sally puts an apple in the blue box then leaves the room. Whilst she is out of the room Anne moves the apple from the blue box and into the red. When Sally comes back into the room where will she look for the apple?

Children should pass this by age 5. It shows they have "theory of mind" which is basically knowing that people have different thoughts, and other people don't know what you are thinking. Typically children with and ASD do not get this until later, or not at all. Even some very high functioning adults I know with AS say that although they have learned the Sally-Anne test- and would pass the test, they still have to remined themselves that people don't know what they are thinking autonatically. Theory of mind (lack of) is fast becoming the diagniostic crirtera for autistic spectrum disorders. It'll give you a good idea of whether or not you have an Aspie.

Jimjams · 01/03/2004 18:58

BTW- the reason children with AS would say Sally will look in the blue box is because they saw the apple being moved. They know it was moved therefore everyone must know. Therefore Sally must know.

binkie · 01/03/2004 21:57

Are there any other theory of mind tests? I ask because I did Sally-Anne on ds (nearly 5) yesterday and he failed ... but being ds he was caught up in the story and perhaps he was wanting Sally to find the apple for a happy ending. Also he has some language problems and may not properly understand the difference between "look for" and "find".

Jimjams · 01/03/2004 22:08

Have a look \herewww.garysturt.free-online.co.uk/baron.htm\here{} for full details. Simon Baron-Cohen (Ali G's cousin) is the main person behind all of this.

I think it develops around 5 in NT kids (sometimes earlier) - so there's time yet. I haven't read your concerns in SN so I'll go and look now

Jimjams · 01/03/2004 22:09

Try again here

Original poster
lars · 01/03/2004 22:24

Jimjams
I did the Sally Anne test he gave the correct answer but he did say that his bear was not Sally or Anne and that they were both called other names even though I said about the naming of the bears.

OP posts:
Jimjams · 01/03/2004 22:32

lol- he sounds wonderful!

I would go with the assessments anyway- but if he is passing the Sally-Anne test at 6 I would say he doesn't have too many problems with social understanding. I wouldn't worry too much about AS.

maryz · 01/03/2004 22:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

suzywong · 01/03/2004 22:42

sorry to but in, but I have a good friend who's child, IMHO and I mean very humble opinion, is mildly Aspergers. He is only 3, so I understand that diagnosis is not easy at that age, plus she does see his behaviour as challenging but does not see it as being anyway near ASD. I am supporting her when she gets to the end of her tether and I long to suggest Aspergers not as a finger pointing exercise but as a strategy for her to cope with her DS and that last post has really made me feel she may be relieved to get him on the road to diagnosis, she currently puts his behaviour down to her poor parenting - which she is not.
What I mean to ask is, would it be the height of insensitivity to suggest a child may have Aspergers before the parent has begun to look to diagnosis as a way of understanding that child's behaviour?