ADHD/ASPERGER/MEDICATION

[sheran]

Hi I am very new to this but here goes. At 40 I thought i was done with dirty nappies but unexpectedly i fell pregnant i was very shocked as my other 2 were 16 and 17. Anyway after a long and painful birth he was born normal in every way. Then the problems began,would not settle, would not feed etc etc I knew from an early age he was different and when he was 3 and started nursery bigger problems developed, I had parenting classes, behaviour experts etc etc he started school and it got worse i fought and fought for someone to hear me his teacher was hopeless and ust said he was bad and needed better parenting well i thought i was doin pretty well seeing as i am now on my own as his dad left when he was 15 months old I changed his school and i have never looked back they were and still are fantastic after only a couple of months he was refered to cahms and shortly after diagnosed with ADHD then 2 months later with ASPERGER now the med he was on and doin so well with is discontinued (equasym) he was given medikinet as they said it was the same but it never worked the same at all in fact he got worse now i am about to try strattera i really feel like i am going backwards
As the med is only for the ADHD it seems the autism is comong out more and i am finding hard to understand why he acts the way he does i realise he will be different and not be able to work things out like us or other children but the more i try to teach him the right way the worse he gets o i dont know i ust need some guidence

Hi sheran
No guidance I'm afraid, just thought I'd let you know you're not alone. I know it feels like 3 steps forward and 4 steps back ( once you address the ADHD the AS kicks in sigh )Hope someone comes along soon with words of comfort and wisdom and that stratera works for your DS and you

Hi, i have 2 dd's with AS/HFA, Dd1 is now 7 with a diagnosis of AS she has a few ADHD traits and we also think she has dyspraxia, we don't use medication for her (i don't think she needs it but might in the future), understanding a child on the autstic spectrum is a challange. What are the main problems?

There are a few adults on here on the spectrum who are great at explaining 'why AS children behave like they do', i have found them very usefull.

Tony Attwood's book on Aspergers might help Sheran;

I know what you mean about the asd traits becoming more recognisable when on meds - have a look at Tony Attwood's book and any others that are suggested and keep posting x

I am researching aspects of autism for a uni project and what I have discovered is that many autistic children are visual thinkers which means they store a lot of information. For instance, if I say DOG to you, you will have a mental image of a 'generic' dog, your child, however, will have to filter through every single dog they have ever seen. The process has been described as like constantly being on 'google images'. Why not 'google' articles by Temple Grandin? She is a successful American autistic who has written widely on the topic but most of her articles are available on the net. I found her articles helped me to understand communication problems although there are also neurological processing reasons which need to be taken into account.

Children like routine and this is particularly true of autistic children. Do you have a timetable for your child?

I notice that your child would not feed as a baby. Have
a look at sites relating to sensory processing disorder which often links to autism.

Sensory issues are my focus right now as the stress created by noise deffo makes all my son's other symptoms so much worse, (so bad he can't attend school).

I agree with the poster above google sensory processing disorder.

Nelleh,

Please stay on this board. You give me hope!

The more I research the topic the more I feel for you heroic parents and I know you are not heroes by choice but ... nonetheless!

I have just posted this on another thread and I remembered you....

Have a look at www.5approach.co.uk.

I hope this offers more insight and some strategies.

I just wanted to add to the thread, you are not alone. My DS was diagnosed 3 years ago and is now age 11 but we noticed he was different quite early on but put it down to being a spoilt only child. When he was 5 he started kicking off at school and we had to fight to get help and DX at age 8.

DS started on Risperidone at age 9 which worked well for a while. He is now on Strattera and has been for about 4 months now and we are noticing a difference in his day to day coping. Less physically aggressive meltdowns although he still struggles with normal stuff.

DS has a dx of Autism, Oppositional Defiance Disorder and severe stress so no ADHD dignosis at all but the way the Peadiatric Psych explains it is that you cant actually medicate for autism. You can use drugs meant for ADHD to help slow the child down allowing time to think things through and reduce stress and frustration.

Thankyou all for your feedback it really does help will keep you updated i know he will always syruggle but hopefully i can help him through

Nelleh, that link doesn't go anywhere.

my son has adhd and has just started on equasym. Why was yours stopped?

he has stopped because we can no longer get it as it is being discontinued

My Ds is on equasym Xl( slow release ) and equasysm 5mg for after school. the 5mg has been discontinued but I got my prescription changed to the chemical name, ie methylphenidate so that the chemist can issue whatever they have. Also I was told by another pharmacist that equasysm made by certain suppliers has been discontinued but other suppliers still make it.

It's the five approach www.5approach.co.uk. You could google 5 approach.