Attention difficulties and or ASD?

[wasuup3000]

My son has attention difficulties this has been recognised by school and he is on an IEP at school action and they have asked me to goto the GP for a formal assessment to be started by a paed. He laso seems to have restricted ideas and play and I was wondering if this could be part of an attention problem or possibly ASD traits. He will call a new toy the same name for example, his name. Or tell me the same story about what happened at school each night the exact same way. He doesn't like changes in routine and has sensory issues mostly with noises. I noticed the other day that when he was playing with cars that he was playing traffic jam with them as he called it and of course they were all lined up. He has not yet grasped recognising his own name other than the first letter but mirror writes this quite often. He is a handful but not in a malicious way but in an energetic one. He will also tap strangers or hug them like he has known them all his life. I don't want to over anaylise or miss anything as school are highlighting his attention difficulties but I know from experience that they don't understand or pick up on ASD traits very well.

Hi wasuup. You know it's only my non expert opinion, but some of those signs do sound rather like ASD. But there is crossover between attention disorders and ASD. Some of the social awareness stuff, like hugging strangers might be due to excessive impulsiveness rather than lack of social skills.

How old is your DS? My DS2 with ASD has always been very active and bouncy, which is due to his hypo-sensitivity to movement rather than hyperactivity disorder, but it looks exactly the same! I think there are enough ASD type signs for you to be suspicious.

He is 4 and a half. He is also poor at following instructions, can wander about a bit at school, has to have a TA when the teacher is trying to teach the rest of the class something. Can't manage more than a few minutes work. Invents pains and sickness for attention. Always likes to monopolise visitors for their attention and cheerfully informs them that they have very fat bellies...

Thanks for replying as well Ellen Jane.

Gosh, does sound like it could be ASD/Aspergers, something, anyway. Obviously need a proper assessment with the paed. Have you had a look at the newest diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum on DSM 5? Or have a look on the NAS website at the triad of impairments? Sorry if that's teaching grandmother to suck eggs.

Not al all Ellen. I have read it before but not for a while will check it out again. Thanks.

It is difficult, as they crossover so much. DS2 is being assessed for both ADHD and ASD (suspected both as well as sensory problems and a few other things thrown in for good measure ). He has a wide mixture of behaviours (including a few that you have indicated as well, although not all of them) that seem to sit happily in both or either category, and as he is 4yo, his paediatrician is not keen on deciding precisely where the line is until he is a bit older and has hit a few more developmental stages. It's always a good idea to have it looked into further by a paed. But we've had it pointed out to us that some of his sensory issues can cause behaviours that look like ADHD or ASD, and so forth. It's difficult to pin down sometimes. At least they are recognising that SOMETHING is up, that's good. They're at the very least open minded about that - and often that's half the battle!

I can't help you really becuase my son has both ADHD and ASD - and he sounds JUST like yours.

Hugging strangers - tick
Naming cuddly toys his own (or brother's) name - tick
"He is a handful but not in a malicious way but in an energetic one" - tick tick tick
Mirror writing - tick
telling same sory about what happened at school - tick

Hi Wassup. No experience of ASD,but my ds2 has a dx of ADHD. He doesn't have any repetitive behaviours. He hasn't hugged any strangers although he's very sociable even with people he's just met. He doesn't have any obsessions and handles change/transition in his stride. His main symptoms are over-activity, poor concentration in the classroom, talks lots, interrupts, impulsive (i.e. acts and thinks later). He can also be 'in your face' and not know when to stop. From the research I have done over the past few years, there can be many disorders occurring together. We were told it is rare for a child to be dx ADHD only and sure enough, 2 months later, ds got a dx of dyslexia. I think it can be a case of "What came first .. the chicken or the egg?" iyswim. From other's experiences on here, the pattern appears to be the same with co-morbids being present.

Triggles -The school actually asked me to get him formally assessed by a paed and wrote a letter about what his difficulties were.....however his behaviour at school kind of has affected them more than my other 2 who whilst have SEN have always been OK on the whole with their behaviuor in school.

Colditz - well it helps in that your son and mine sound the same and I was concerned about him having both rather than just the ADHD that they are looking at. Saying that hes not malicious but he has had his older brothers and sister in tears today running off with their things and hiding them again I guess more for attention and a reaction from them on his part but I came home from the gym and doing a shop to his dad pulling his hair out with him!!

Hi cooper - We are also concerned that dyslexia may be an issue as whilst he zooms through matching images/pictures if writing is involved he doesnt even seem able to see the letters and jumps from one part of the text to the next. It is indeed a case which came first. Got an OT appointment which came through for him first before we have even heard from the paed next month so hopefully they will be able to help clear the picture for us a little as well. Poor concentration, over activity in the classroom, finds sitting through assembly difficult, I can definately tick those boxes for him too.

wasuup3000

As Coogar has mentioned there are a wide range of developmental cognitive disabilities that can be co-morbid or co-exist. The top level of issues are the observable issues such as dyslexia, and the wide range of issues that need to combine to make up the issues on autistic spectrum.
The observable issues all have underlying cognitive processing deficits and disorders, and it is these issues which can individually cause problems such as dyslexia, or as a multiple co-morbid sets of issues cause the problems included on the Autistic Spectrum.
ADHD is one of the cognitive deficits or disorders, which can combine with other sensory or motor cognitive deficits and or disorders. What is really required to identify the individual deficits and disorders each individual may have, or may not have so that a meaningful diagnosis can be obtained.

coogar mentioned ADHD and dyslexia, Developmental Dyslexia has three cognitive subtypes: auditory, visual and attentional. So her ds2 ADHD is a cognitive cause of his dyslexia.

we are a family of 5, and we all have a clinical diagnosis of Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) which is a listening disability, or having problems processing what we hear (including problems following conversations, and following verbal instructions) which is the cause of our dyslexia. And it is possible to have co-morbid ADHD and APD.

That is interesting dolfrog, one of my other children has a dx of ASD, dyspraxia and ADD traits but the 2 brothers couldn't be anymore different and another has a dx of NVLD which CAMHS may dx as ASD when they have finished their observations and findings. The one with the ADD traits has a delayed immediate verbal memory so I am interested in learning more about APD as well.