Aspergers, Romy very kindly pointed me to this board

[alfiemama]

Hi everyone

Last night whilst reading a thread where AS was discussed, I thought Im gonna look this up as sounded familiar, anyway I found a list of the symptons and was amazed that what I was reading sounded like my ds who is 4 and started school sept.

So I bit the bullet and rang the HT who advised (sob sob) that they thought the same and have been assessing ds, they picked it up in first week of school. Ds flaps his arms a lot when excited and rocks as he is doing this, other traits aswell, obsesses over things and reads yellow pages and a-z etc.

He has always been a hard child and now feel well a sense of relief but havent got a clue how this will affect him.

We have a meeting with school next week and they are getting someone to asses him, they also said we did well to spot it, so thanks to this lovely site for that.

I suppose (and sorry for the rambling a bit shell shocked) Im looking for as much info on this as possible.

thanks

Welcome to the SN board.

If you haven't already seen it then the NAS website's section on AS is a good start if you're looking for information.

Tony Attwood's book is also very good.

My ds2 is 5yrs old and has AS. His older brother has a diagnosis of high-functioning autism, which is similar to AS.

Hi Coppertop

Thanks so much, Im just in shock at the mo, it was just a shot in the dark and by the looks of it has turned true.

I will have a look at the info, thanks

Does it run in families then, where or how do they get it, god sorry rambling again

Sorry you've had such a shock. It's one thing to suspect it yourself but when someone else tells you that they have the same suspicions it makes it all seem somehow more real doesn't it?

In our case there seems to be a lot of it in the family, although mostly undiagnosed. When our eldest was diagnosed a few years ago the Paed said that dh almost certainly has AS too (dh had told her how as a child he was very much like ds1 etc). My dad definitely fitted the diagnostic criteria too but back then it tended to be put down to people being a little odd or eccentric.

I think somewhere in the SN board archives there are a couple of threads about whether AS/ASD runs in people's families. There seems to be one group where there are a few relatives who could well be on the autistic spectrum. The other group had no history of it at all in the family.

Hi and welcome!!

I have a 10 year old son with aspergers, although it wasn't recognised until he was 8, and has only been recently diagnosed.

Its very positive that your DS has been picked up now, so that he can get the support he needs early on.

Everyone here is very helpful and knowledgeable, so post away with all your questions.

Hi and welcome!!

I have a 10 year old son with aspergers, although it wasn't recognised until he was 8, and has only been recently diagnosed.

Its very positive that your DS has been picked up now, so that he can get the support he needs early on.

Everyone here is very helpful and knowledgeable, so post away with all your questions.

Hi Coppertop

Thanks for the info, helping more than I can explain or thank you.

Am I right in saying that AS is can be linked to depression later on in life, its just my dad has clinical depression and wondered if he may be undiagnosed?

Hi alfiemama welcome to the SN board

I think its always hard to hear that your child has SN. Although I already knew that ds was on the spectrum it was really hard having that confimed by the paediatrican. Part of me was relieved to be taken seriously and not to be told i was making a fuss about nothing and its wasn't my fault he had problems. The other part of me was shocked and sad that my little boy really did have a problem that I couldn't fix by being a better parent.

Since his need came to light my mum and I have talked about others in the family who may have simialr problems, albeit undiagnosed. We are sure that my grandad had AS and probably my cousin has it too. I am sure that I have dyspraxia which has quite a few crossovers with AS.

Hi Sarah573

Thank you, yes the school actually said what conscientious parents we are to have picked up on it, we have always said he is quirky but it was only ds 2 came along that we noticed all the differences.

I always think I knew in the back of my mind but just thought it was just him ifykwim

What I dont understand is my ds1 has been under hv for food related probs and been to Dr's quite a lot and they must have all noticed the flappy hands thing, very very evident, is this is a trait why hasnt this been picked up?

Hi alfiemama,

Yes unfortunatley lots of people with AS suffer with depression . However my take on this is that if Dxd early enough and with the right understanding alot of this can be avoided.

My DD (just) also has AS.

Welcome to the wonderfull SNs board

Yes lots of children on the spectrum do hand flap, however so do lots of NT children. Its probably not been picked up on because he is still only young.

My DD (Just 6) still hand flaps quite alot where as very few NT kiddies will still flap at 6 iyswim .

Another welcome

I have ds12 with an ASpergers / high functuining asd dx( speech issues is theonly difference technically, he wasnt assessd enough to give a label to the speech stuff sp tis Paeds way of being inclusive), ds3 (awaiting a dx for asd or pdd-nos- dont worry you'll let to know the terms lol, they dont matter that much), plus 2 other ds's

It does hurt to be told- was a relief with ds1 (he is quite aggro) but still hurt; ds3 is due a dx shortly and although by now he is statemented / quite noticeable delayed, it will till cause a bang reaction.

The trick is to expec that, and to take good care of yourself at every step, and your relationship. You need both to be strong.

Hi Alfiemama! I have two DSs with an AS diagnosis. One is 9, the other 19. We strongly suspect that our two eldest DSs also have AS, but they have not been assessed. So that is 4 out of 5 DSs with it for us!
It is really good that your DS has been picked up at an early age. My youngest was dx at 6, but after a lot of anguish and tears at school. The 19 year old was only dx last year, and I cannot tell you how much I wish it has been recognised earlier. (He was assessed when he was 8 but in those days AS was rarely diagnosed-he was diagnosed as dyspraxic instead).
It does get easier after the initial shock has worn off, believe me!

Oh my god, I dont know any of these abreviations lol

What does NT mean

these are the things that I think ds has

Flappy hands a lot when exicted
Fidgets
Obsessive over daft things like dads music and dvds, doesnt like watching kids programmes
Likes to read maps, yellow pages and magazines
Hates change and is very rigid
Very caring but can throw tantrums
Used to head bang as a child
plays with his hair a lot!
likes to watch rather than actually join in.
Will not try anything new
Rambles when talking very repitive

God whilst typing this seems so blumming obvious now, school said why hadnt nursery picked up on it, so they must think quite obvious too

Neither school nor nursery recognised it with us. In fact school refused to believe it until DS5 got his official diagnosis.
My DS5 still flaps his hands. He hates change and does not cope well with things like supply teachers at school. Does not like surprises-we have to virtually tell him what he will be getting for Christmas!
Don't worry about not reconising it earlier-we didn't either. Our problem was that all of ours were similar so we did not think anything of a lot of the signs!

NT is neorotyical- without sn

asd- autistic spectrum disorder

as - aspergerrs

hfa- high functioning autism; lfa - low fnctioning autism (the difference is in the IQ)

PDD-NOS- autistic, sorta, defintely disabled but hard to ep,lain (thats a sort of tongue in cheek variant just seems to be the ay aplied to ds3)

ah I see,

Bless just thought when ds started school I tried to teach him to sit on his hands so he wouldnt get bullied, feeling quite crappy now

sorry thanks everyone

Hi, welcome! I have Asperger syndrome. I'm a married mum with a job. My husband has AS too, and he's got a good job too. I'm not saying that any of this was easy, and neither can I promise the future will be fantastic for any child with the diagnosis, but there's hope for so many children with the new research and help and possibilities.

Definitely have a look at the National Autistic Society website and info on there. And keep asking the good folk here anything you like. They're lovely.

Thanks Amber very kind of you

Yes I must say you are all lovely and helpful, thanks again

Can I ask Amber how does it affect you now you are an adult if you dont mind me asking?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs/633025-A-day-in-the-life-of-Amber

That'll keep you going for a while, I'd think

Hello and welcome!
No experience of AS myself but, as you know already, you'll find lots of help on here! I can't imagine how you are feeling right now, a strange mixture of shock and relief - with perhaps a few other things thrown in for good measure! At least now you will get access to help, in RL and on here.
Just wanted to say hello really
Good luck x

Just wanted to say welcome too and like 'feelingbitbetter' don't have actual experience of AS, but in a similar boat re waiting for dx. I honestly don't know where I would have been without all the knowledgable mums on the sn board the last few months. Keep posting and let us know how you get on. Good luck xx

Hi again

Thanks Amber very insightful, it was quite scary how much I could relate to, even down to the tooth brushing and the shower, if only I had known sooner, just makes me want to sob that I couldnt understand my son enough.

Fellingbitbetter thanks hun, yes it is very strange ds1 seems to have had so many probs, at first reflux, and now childhood reflux, also being refered about his feet and now special needs. It just seems crazy at the mo.

Im convinced now he has it, which can only mean that we can now help him, so yes it is a relief

ps Amber I think your very inspiring and I hope you do write a book as I would defo buy it and I am sure so would others.

Can I also ask, some people said about dyspraxia, is there anything else that can be linked with AS

Hi Alfiemama.
Yoy could be talking about my DS last year. He started in reception and it suddenly hit me that he looked like he had AS. I read on here too and it convinced me to mention it too his teacher. Just 10 days into school they were using the autism word. I was relieved, shocked and very guilty that I had not seen it before. He was assessed by an Ed Psych and helped by an inclusion support worker who then referred us to a paediatrician. He likes to read catalogues, and flaps and spins alot when excited. Everyone involved was shocked and digusted that he had gone through preschool unnoticed, but I was his mum and I hadn't noticed either! We have a younger DS and watching him develop sent all my alarm bells ringing

The good news. We had a tough year fighting for diagnosis and support but now we have it. He was actually diagnosed with HFA, not AS, and now has 1:1 support in school, and he is making truly amazing progress.

Dyspraxia and AS have a lot of similaritie. Bear in mind motor control difficulties are part of AS. My DS has difficulty with body awareness and school has to work hard with his fine motor skills and handwriting. These difficulties do not usually form part of the diagnostic criteria though.

Good luck with your journey.