What does my GP know about Aspergers? Clearly nothing.

[Marne]

lol.

Just took dd1 to the GP for a check up as she has been unwell, i thought i would mention the problems she is having with her legs (possible low muscle tone) and i said to him 'i thought it was linked to her AS' and he looked up and said 'Aspegers, how long has she had that for, she doesn't look like she has Aspergers, she's a normal little girl' , i told him 'she was diagnosed last year, she now hides most of her traits but is still very sensitive ect..', he then said 'she should be re-assesed and have the dx taken off her record' . He also said she is too bright to have AS (duh, most AS children are bright).

Dd1 has changed a lot over the past 2 years and some of her traits have vanished or she has learned to control/hide. She still hates change in routine, suffers with Anxiety, gets upset easily, hates loud sounds but comes across as being a very clever, talkative little girl.

I was shocked that the GP thought he could dx dd1 as being normal from only seeing her for 5 minutes (dd1 did chat to him for the whole of the 5 minutes about books and the map in the waiting room ).

!!!!!!

He said what??! Is he a diagnostic professional all of a sudden? Gee whizz.

I almost laughed when he said 'how long has she had that for' (duh, she has always had it).

We took dd1 in to see him because she is ill due to her poor/limited diet (another of her AS traits).

Would a normal 6 year old want to discus Maps with a GP (i think not) .

I would.
I have to sit where I can't see maps, otherwise I wander over to look at them and start a conversation about the main features, which is really distracting in important meetings

I love map too , dd1 and i spent half an hour in the waiting room looking at the map of the world and pointing out countries.

Your GP's ignorance about Aspergers doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

Our GP hasn't a clue about AS. Apart from failing to diagnose anything at all wrong for the first 15 years of DS's life and then agreeing with a very damaging misdiagnosis before grudingly accepting a Consultant's As dx, he then proceeded to speak of it in terms of having a bad cold! If it wasn't for the fact that we need his continuity for benfits claims etc i'd have dumped him years ago - but there is never a 'right' time to do so.

Added to that, I have a press clipping from a couple of years ago about a GP's own doctor who was not dx'd with Aspergers until age 15. that just about sums it up - if the doctor couldn't even recognise the traits in someone they were living with on a daily basis.

There is huge ignorance about Aspergers within the medical profession - not just amongst GPs (who I've never rated very highly anyway) but amongst those 'specilaists' who should know.

Instead we have to educate them

Sorry - typo above --- should read "GP's own daughter