Hi, I'm a parent to a boy I think has aspergers

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Fleurabella
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11 Jun 2013, 3:22 pm

Hi, my son hasn't bent his knees for 7 weeks, All tests have come back clear and we are seeing camhs who say it is stress related. Has anyone ever come across this severity of stress before and if so how did you or the person who's had it get over it? I've reduced all demands, basically letting him do what he wants, which is playing on his Xbox. I don't know what to do for the best anymore. I've told the pysch that I don't think he will bend his knees until he gets a diagnosis then he can separate that from himself and put the 'blame' on that! Am I making sense anyone?! I really hope so :(



cberg
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11 Jun 2013, 4:10 pm

I've never heard of anything so specific in direct relation to Autism Spectrum, but it's possible. Another part of me knows kids just love being weird.


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Meepasaur
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11 Jun 2013, 5:38 pm

Doesn't sound specific to any form of autism. It sounds like a form of hysteria or possibly even histrionic personality disorder.
There is not enough information here to make an accurate assumption as to what is happening inside his noggin.
Did you ask what was stressing him out?


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11 Jun 2013, 6:48 pm

Seems like his behavior is working... He keeps his legs straight, he gets to play video games all day.
To be fair, this is pretty extreme behavior just to get you to back off, so I would certainly consider having him evaluated, but I would be careful about "letting him do what he wants" because of not bending his legs. You may get some backlash, but (depending on where you live) there should be supports (e.g. a psych crisis line) if his behaviors are extreme enough to be a safety risk.
At face value, it doesn't sound like an Autism Spectrum Disorder, but I couldn't rule it out based on the limited info you've provided.


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12 Jun 2013, 7:27 am

[Moved from Getting to know each other to Parents' Discussion]


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12 Jun 2013, 11:55 am

Can you tell us a little more about your son and why you suspect autism in particular? In isolation, I wouldn't say unbent knees are a symptom - but I can see where they might be an expression of anxiety, rigidity, sensory issues, etc.

In general, I am pro-evaluation: IMO, in a young child it can't hurt, at least not if you are living in a reasonably accepting community. Keep in mind that an assessment should be done by someone who specializes in developmental disorders: this forum is littered with people who got the runaround from pediatricians, psychologists and psychiatrists before finding a specialist who was able to give a definitive answer that worked.



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12 Jun 2013, 12:26 pm

Does your child already have a spectrum diagnosis? I don't personally know of anything specifically autistic about what you are describing, other than just that autistic people tend not to handle stress well.

Given that the leg bending thing was diagnosed as stress-related, do you know specifically what is causing the stress? Have they tried a placebo? (I am not a doctor, so I am not going to suggest it if psych professionals feel that is a bad idea, obvs.)

I think I know what you are saying: He does not want to acknowledge that his inability to handle stress is the cause, and he would feel better blaming some organic cause? I don't know if any kind of neurological diagnosis would meet that requirement or not. Even neurological disorders can be internalized, because of the general stigma attached to issues of the mind.