Similarities between AS and Dyslexia

[stillsmarting]

My DS has a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. He is not Dyslexic (has been tested).
It might seem like a stupid question, but one of his supports is a Dyslexia expert and he says she doesn't know much about AS.
As I understand it Dyslexics are likely to have similar organisational problems to him, and probably difficulty processing information. What else is likely to be the same? The fact that he mentioned that she doesn't know much about AS started me thinking. (Review coming up).

Visual timetable is something I will try and it's totally beyond dysfunctional at present. A friend suggested just leaving him to his own devices and then leaving without him which would be possible on a day when DH is working from home.

Leaving Dd3 is not an option for me TBH, unless I am going to home educate her.

She quite simply would not get ready. sometimes when people suggest just leaving them to it they are thinking from an NT point of view. These strategies usually dont work with children with SN's especially ASD type issues.

I have to use careful, softly softly stuff with Dd3 before school as she needs time to prepare herself for her day of sensory overload, social stuff she doesnt understand and following rules that she hasnt set herself but cannot break.

I would recommend asking a more specific question on the board about morning routines and getting children out of the house in the morning. I am sure people have all sorts of methods that could be worth a try.

Good luck[hsmile]

Bochead and Mrs Shriek3, am interested in this research you mention re understanding language development and dyslexia. Where is it and do you have any refs? I was not sure that brain imaging techniques were at the stage of establishing causality? Am I wrong (genuine question)?
HW x

I've just typed a lovely long post Handywoman and lost it grrrrr

Sorry if it looked like causality was being established, afaik it's not there yet. The research I've read is mainly BPS psychology and educational psychology journal stuff, and there are lots of studies in neurophysiology and language development. There is a fascinating one comparing the neurophysiology of language centres of hearing and deaf people, but I digress... the thing is, the potential is there to continue it much further into the specific area of dyslexia, and plenty has been going on in the last couple of years in neurophysiology of visual and auditory processing in dyslexia, in the US and Germany. The Albert Einstein centre in NY appears to be well on top of the research and brain imaging, but the UK system is simply not taking much of it on, or so it seems. Does anyone have any more info to show more going on in the UK?
Longitudinal studies are in place in the US, looking at developmental dyslexia.
It is now well established that dyslexia is a neurological disorder with a genetic origin, but there are several theories as to what underlies this. The thing is, the BDA could really push further on this to look much harder at causal connections, but they choose instead to go for the sticking plaster. Yes we understand that there isn't a single cause, but the understanding is so good, that with a push it could be extended, surely? It doesn't seem that the UK research is going anywhere close. Functional neuroimaging is making very rapid progress in other areas, including language, so it seems odd that dyslexia research isn't keeping up. Hence the questions whether the Dyslexia associations here are motivated by other interests, and prefer to stick to the tutoring approach?

I think my ds had a visual timetable at school. I have to admit we tended to just frogmarch him on school mornings, even to the extent when he was smaller of physically dressing him He's got much better as he's got older, partly because he recognises his difficulties and partly because we emigrated and life is much less stressful here. i was a bit worried about him going off to high school, but he's not done too badly so far. I am very very glad that he didn't have to go two years ago as he would have done if we'd stayed in the UK, I think he would have really struggled (plus here they do subjects in blocks so he only has four subjects at a time).

Thanks for the post on the research side MrsShriek. It's really interesting stuff. One of my cousins is convinced that his dyslexic brain has lots of advantages on the creative side of things. I'd be fascinated just to know what the typical brain differences are.

Niceweather and Ineedalife My DS wouldn't get ready if left to his own devices either. He has little sense of the passing of time, and would just drift around. Up until he was about 15 we had to shout through the bathroom door to make sure he washed himself and then tell him when it was time to come out, or he'd have stayed in until the water ran cold! He does use the visible time on the television news in the morning to keep track of time. He knows he has to brush his teeth at 8.20 and be ready to leave at 8.30, but he is 17!
A visual timetable does help, or, at his age, a list. If I am going out and want him to do things while I am gone I leave him a list of tasks, with "These things must be done by (time)" and so far that has worked, as long as the list is limited to about three things.
I agree that the idea of leaving them to their own devices and suddenly expecting them to get dressed is approaching it from an NT point of view.

I took my DS 2 yrs ago to a specialist optometrist...she Dx tracking issues, lines and things were moving around for DS and he reported this, etc...I can't remember what the 'name' of these conditions was to be exact but the issues were there.
He has since been Dx with Dyslexia and we re-visited the optometrist recently...was there 20mins and she then said.'all is fine' ...nothing and no issues....???
I'm not sure I believe her though and am thinking about seeking another opinion...can these issues simply disappear?...that's what I wonder...can a person just 'recover' from a condition they previously had like this? It seems now he is older and grown, that his eyes and issues with tracking and movement probs when looking at things has vanished!!!....hhmmm, I just don't know if this is right or whether I was fobbed off to easily, I can't help feeling suspicious

As Behavioural Optometrists charge for their therapies why would she say he was OK if he wasn't? Although she might not have been a very good one I suppose.
Could he have got better with practise? Presumably if a person does a lot of tracking exercises for example they become more adept at it.
Who diagnosed him with Dyslexia?

NHS Scotland so no charges for services. DS has been screened for Dyslexia 2 times...1st result was 'odd' it was mostly giving the result he was dyslexic but he had a strange score on one of the parts of it and it was sent out for a specialist review (which never came back) so 3 yrs later it had barely been addressed as an issue and still no particular interventions were being given at all. It was eventually repeated recently. It was done within School during P7 and done in pieces/parts over several weeks by 2/3 diff members of staff (mainly due to DS not being able to concentrate to do the work required for it apparently)...either way it seemed all wrong to me and indeed the school didn't even tell me they were in the process of doing it at all!!!...I just found the envelope with the report in it in his school bag at the end of P7!
I believe he needs it all repeated and I need to seek 2nd opinions about the visual processing, etc issues.
Maybe I should find a private examiner now and new school will re-do the screening for the Dyslexia too

I know the similarity and overlapping of ASD/dyspraxia/dyslexia is a popular view on Mumsnet but tbh none of the professionals I spoke to (several neurologists in different countries plus several SALTs) agree with it.
I personally think that the conditions can of course be comorbid but they are essentially different illnesses with different difficulties, different way of presenting themselves and shall be treated in differently.

whatthewhatthebleep, my DS got his blue lenses from the Dyslexia Research Trust in Reading. As I understand it, the lenses are actually meant to have a curing effect. It's a charity and they do research on this (have a look at their website). I just asked my DS and he said that his blurring is not as bad as it used to be but he still gets it. The glasses have helped him but there are still many issues remaining and I don't see any improvement with his handwriting, spelling or punctuation. The Dyslexia Research Trust did tracking type tests on his eyes and gave us a report which confirmed that there were issues. Interestingly, when he goes to the normal opticians, he doesn't read from left to right - he just reads the letters randomly.

stillsmarting, yes, yes, we have the same bathroom issues. There have been times when I have actually had to remind him to keep eating the food in front of him.

nooka, there is a lot of info out there on the advantages of being dyslexic. Dyslexics are over represented in the field of entrepreneurs and in the prison population. There are loads of famous, creative dyslexics. NASA used to seek out dyslexics for employment because they have superb problem-solving skills and excellent 3D and spatial awareness. There is an interesting book and website called Dyslexic Advantage.