Autism Quotient Questionnaire

[Sleepdeprevation]

School and I have to fill in an Autism Quotient Questionnaire, in the next step of establishing if ds has Aspergers.

So far we have been told he has all the traits bar he's a popular kid (he's a treat them mean keep them keen school of thought, we (his parents) think he's awful in the way he treats other kids, he'll play with someone then will turn round and say 'you can go home now and leave me alone now', and won't talk again until he deems fit, but the kids currently (how long it will last who knows) don't seem to take offense and leave him alone, and always welcome him back).

School say there is no problem with regards to anything, so I have a feeling that their questionnaire is going to be a very different set of results from us.

My two questions:

• anyone any experience if two different scores are received, do they investigate further, is school's score given heavier weighting?

• anyone received a dx of HFA or Aspergers despite the child not having any social problem but all other traits?

Anyone able to advise?

I had a post a few days ago called ASD and LD?s where I was querying LD?s but also wondering about whether an ASD diagnosis would be appropriate for my son because he has many traits but is sociable. I suppose it depends on how old your DS is and you have only given one example but I would have thought from what you said that his social skills are not entirely appropriate , in that he is trying to control his interaction with others and possibly doesn?t seem to understand that telling someone to go away is not the best way to behave.

I?m sure there will be others along with more information on actual diagnosis but I think its common for a child to display symptoms at home but not at school and vice versa so I imagine that if its present in one setting, that should be enough to warrant further investigation

DS is 6.

The consultant paed has asked us to fill it in. The paed said if he had social problems he'd have no problems with giving a straight dx of Aspergers.

His main difficulty is anxiety relating to change, and amendments to routine. He can't cope with noise, and will revert into himself.

He already has a dx of dyslexia.

However, the school say he has no problems, as he is impeccably behaved, and is popular and well liked by all.

I on the other hand think his social problems are not as clear cut, because as well as the above treatment of other children, all the children who don't do what he wants or have the same interests as him, do not feature at all on his radar, to the point that when he walks past them he will not acknowledge them. If you ask him about children or adults who are not part of his group, he shows no sign of recognition, and appears to be oblivious to their existience.

He has no empathy for anyone, even his closest friends. Last week one child on his table was in tears every day, the other children were distressed by this as the child was upset due to a death. I heard about this via other mothers, I asked my ds about this, and his response was 'someone died, they'll get over it' no empathy from him, and no concern from him, as he sees that as no impact to his life.

I had an EP do this questionnaire with me and my ex for my then 6 year old son, it came out "highly likely aspergers", he then had a SALT say high functioning autism, then a paed say he met the triad of impairments, final meeting the diagnosis made was Aspergers, hes 7 now. Can i say that my son until he was 6 was actually quite sociable, he was controlling with play but kids liked him and he didnt play too bad. Fast forward a few months and boy did the social problems hit hard!! Now a few more months on hes aged 7 and socialising is a real problem for him. Hes in a special school now with a statement and around kids who are like him and he is extremely popular, the social pressures arent there but put him with "normal" kids and the problems surface tenfold and its really sad to watch.

"However, the school say he has no problems, as he is impeccably behaved, and is popular and well liked by all"

this is exactly what my sons old mainstream school used to say, but my son did have problems he just kept them very well hidden at school and bought them all home with him

Oh brandy77 your post has made me well up.

It's made me realise I'm not alone. I'm not being paranoid, I'm not making it up, or all other things even I've begun to think about myself.

I saw it again today at football. He's stood there flapping like a bird, "really he flaps his hands oh never seen him do that" "look at him now" "oh yes but he's only doing that now". He's been playing with his team every week since September, they all call his name they all want him on his team, because he can score goals. He doesn't know a single child's name, he doesn't see where everyone is, or interact, or pass, he just gets the ball, mows down all children in his way and scores goals.

I said to the paed "school see a different child, he bottles it at school then releases it all at home".

Paed said "well in that case he can't have aspergers as they don't have the ability to bottle it, he would be the same at school as he is at home".

Has your paed ever observed him in school? DSs school(s) were both adamant he didn't have AS, just a sensitive child. The ASD team said it was so blatantly AS within minutes of observing him in the school environment they couldn't understand how the school couldn't see it. As DS wasn't throwing major tantrums in school (just having panic attacks in new situations) it didn't fit with their idea of AS.

The paed is wrong sleep, I know for a fact that children with AS and ASD can act differently in different situations.

My Dd3 tries to be invisible at school, she has so many ways of masking her issues.

Her old school were totally incabable of seeing her issues despite 3.5 years of me telling them and various proffs telling them.

She was in her new school for 1 term when the proffs spoke to them and they had seen all of her issues. This resulted in her getting a DX.

She never misbehaves but has anxiety attacks when things change or do not go the way they should. She also has separation anxiety.

Your Ds's social skills don't sound fine to me[sorry]. It sounds like his is able to socialise on his terms, like my DD3.

Keep pushing and good luck.

Also meant to say, that there are loads of folk on here whose children bottle up their issues at school and then explode at home.

With Dd3 she explodes before we leave the playground usually, we are not normally allowed to communicate with her for at least 30 minutes after the bell goes.

She is alot better since she moved school though.

No paed hasn't observed him in school. All we've had so far is a 40min consultation in the paed's office.

He has always been very aware of what he'll allow himself to do in front of peers. He won't cry or show emotion, even when he broke his wrist, and it was pointing out at a 20 degree angle, he still wasn't going to show he was hurt to friends.

It takes approx 3 hours for ds to open up after school.

Like both of your two, are main thing is panic attacks. But the school send him home ill as he goes hot and sweaty and as white as a sheet, and so therefore must be coming down with something. Regardless of how many times I say these are the signals of someone panicing. And by the time we get home and he's settled himself, he's bouncing around and of course not ill at all.

Right chin up and let's keep going.

*are = our - oops

Dd3 often gets herself so worked up that she vomits. Her old school used to send her home. But the new school with brilliant Senco are teaching her how to calm herself.

She also has friends but at the new school they all have disabilities of one kind or another, they are very exepting of one another.

Sounds awful - but it's wonderful to not be feeling alone.

DS won't follow anyone, but is not bothered if noone wants to follow him, but because at every opportunity he'll pick up a football, he's always seen as part of an ever changing group of boys, basically whoever wants to play football at any given time.

DS vomits in the morning and has diarhoea over night when something of change e.g. school trip is taking place. Now "forget" to tell the school as they say I have to keep him off for 48 hours as others could catch the bug. I didn't know anxiety was catching?!?! He missed all events (nativity, trips, sports day) last year, until I wised up.

Ineedalife is it a specific ASD school, or a general special needs school?

There is a fantastic ASD school local to us, and I truly believe my ds will not be ill if he went there.

No sleep... believe it or not its just an outstanding [in the true sense of the word] mainstream primary with an additional resource base for children with physical disabilities. The whole school has such a fantastic approach to inclusion and the SEN team are brilliantly led by a wonderful SENCO who has a DS with Aspergers.

She is the first person to "get" what I am talking about and she is the only other person apart from me who can calm Dd3 down when she is having an anxiety attack and she has told me that she will not be sending Dd3 home any more after vomiting due to anxiety.

I don't know what we would have done if we hadn't realised that Dd3 needed to move schools, this time last year she was almost certainly depressed and going downhill fast. I said to the HT at the new school that if she wasn't happier there I would have to home ed.

After a few weeks of her being there, I knew she would be staying.

You may need to try to find another school, is there anyway you could talk to the ASD school to get some advice, and have you tried Parent Partnership for support. They do vary from place to place, mine were helpful but wouldn't come to meetings with me.

Am off to bed now but will check back tomorrow sometime.

Take care and keep coming on here there is always someone around to chat to.

Where do I need to move to?!?

Thank you for the support.