I need advice as son is being tested for AS.

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My son has just turned 10 years old and is currently undergoing tests for AS after referral by his school. I have read many lists of criteria that should be met and there is one that is suggested to be universal in cased of AS and that is the need for routine. Jamie doesn't have any need for routine whatsoever so this has prompted me to ask if anybody recognises his symptoms.
Firstly, Jamie perorms well at school although his handwriting is definately holding him back. He has the reading, mathematical and scientific abilities of a 12/13 year old but the handwriting of a 5 year old.
He is always losing things such as pencil cases, jumpers etc and so the school have allocated a child to watch him as he doesn't realise he has to look for something once he has lost it. The school tell me he expects somebody else to find the things he has lost. Apparently, it is difficult to break Jamie out of his imaginary games and he often hides behind teachers as they enter the classroom and ambushes them, shooting them with his imaginary gun. He doesn't seem to acknowledge that teachers are in a position of authority.
He has always had issues with labels in his jumpers or shirts and has always exaggerated the feel of the label against his skin, often contorting his body out of shape in protest ! !! He also removes items of clothing should he drop the smallest amount of water on them. When he was a toddler, he would refuse to put his hand onto the ground to aid him returning to his feet in order to avoid getting his hands dirty. This is something he grew out of.
He is absolutely terrible at any sporting activity. He is unable sprint and always appears clumbsy. As with his struggles with hand-writing he also struggles with playing games like pool and snooker as he appears to be unable to use his hands as you'd expect from a ten year old. It took us until he was 9 years old to ride a bike competently and until he was 8 before he was able to tie his shoes quickly.
The main area of concern is the way he tends to play by himself in preference to playing with others. It has taken a lot of work from ourselves and his school to pair him together with people who also seem to struggle in forming friendships. He is bullied for being eccentric and is often called gayboy.
He has always struggled with food and it is a challenge to get him to try new foods. He will not have anything by way of a sauce or gravy on his food so his meals are dry and boring.
Most of what I have mentioned would suggest he may be AS but.....
He has no need for routine.
He is aware of the feelings of others.
He doesn't take everything as literal.
His speech has been A1 from a very early age.
Does anybody recognise the symptoms Jamie is exhibiting in themselves ? Have you already been correctly diagnosed and found the help you needed to reach your full potential ? If so, I'd appreciate any advice you might offer so that I may help Jamie as best I can. Thankyou.

My little boy PDD-NOS/AS is only 4 yrs. But like your lad he doesnt have any need for routine what so ever. Infact I could go so far as to say he loves things to be different!! !

When we drive home from school, he might get upset cause he doesnt want to go the same old route, he wants to go off somewhere different on an adventure.

Of my three children, other two NT, he is the most flexible!! He is great at wearing new clothes, going on holidays, trying something new (but not food!!).

I always wondered if that meant he may not have AS either. But I think he just has a different expression of it. His teachers said they have never met a child with an ASD that presents like he does. Always up for a laugh, a challenge and something new and exciting.

I do hope that as he gets older, he will still be as flexible. You have given me hope on that...........thank you xx

there is no "must have" criteria in particular. there are a set number of criteria needed in three areas: stereotyped behaviors, communication, and social skills. The DSM-IV criteria are the only criteria. Under the stereotyped behaviors one must have repetitive behaviors such as need for sameness in the routine but fixating on a particular activity or topic to an unusual degree can meet that criteria.

It is also possible to be dx'ed with PDD-NOS because you meet almost all of the criteria, so that is a possibility.

In all honesty the social skills are usually weighed more heavily in a dx.

Have you investigated Dyspraxia rather than Aspergers?
http://www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/s ... mptoms.php

One of my children is Dyspraxic and what you say about motor difficulties and losing things are key aspects of dyspraxia. His awareness of the feelings of others again sounds like a -ve point for AS against the usual diagnostic criteria. Whereas clumsiness is often *associated* with AS, but not a primary symptom in the diagnostic criteria.

Note that Dyspraxics also can get seriously bullied and teased. Bullies will home in on any difference and being clumsy, forgetful, not good at sport singles you out as different. Playing alone could be a normal response to being teased and bullied.

One area you describe where your son doesn't fit the dyspraxia definition is in imaginative play as this is restricted in dyspraxics. My dyspraxic child, for example, has never played with toys and can't see the point of them! However dyspraxics can often appear to be 'lost' in a dream world.

Eating problems and complaining of itchy clothes is actually very common among all children! My children have friends who would never fit any (yet discovered) disorder, yet drive their parents mad with their limited eating habits.

I recommend reading http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt99315.html. Once your child has that diagnosis, he will be ineligible (at least in the U.S.) for health insurance. Be sure to carefully weigh your options before proceeding.

I have an older son (now 21) who would have been diagnosed when he was young, but the diagnosis wasn't readily available back then [while his younger brother, aged 13, is diagnosed]. What you describe in your son is what my older son was like. He had many of the tendencies of Asperger's, but not all of them. The diagnosis CAN be a good thing, but it doesn't fully describe your son -- it just shows that he shares tendencies with other people who may or may not have Aspergers. Also, the diagnosis may help your son receive some services -- so that's a good thing. But if he doesn't require routine, that's a very positive thing that you can use, for him, to his benefit. That means he is more flexible than some people with Asperger's.

My Mum has some experience with working with ASD children and she says that Jamie seems more Dyspraxic that Asbergic. She has also made me aware of the wide autistic spectrum and suggests that Jamie, although featuring on the spectrum, could be at the very mildest end. I've always known that jamie is different to other children but it always seemed to me as though he was more mature as he was seemed comfortable in the company of adults, never seemed to tell lies and was always well behaved. At school it seems to be a diffrent matter. They report that Jamie is very childish and when he's being told off he makes a mewing sound like a cat before wailing in an exaggerated manner. They say that he can never take responsibility for what he done and it is always somebody elses fault.
When he was younger whilst sitting on the floor listening to a story at school he noticed that a girl next to him had a bogie hanging from her nose. When noticing this, Jamie ran the classroom and wouldn't return until it had been proven it was no longer there. When his shoes became untied he would take off his shoes and refuse to put them back on again. I just put this down to eccentricity and to him being a bit of a free spirit.
I read something that somebody else had posted on this site and they commented that although it seems as though a child appears to be playing by themself in a world of their own imagination that they are often repeating something they have seen from a film or a TV programme. This rang a bell as I've often heard him quote from computer games.
I really wouldn't change Jamie for the world and I love the fact that he is studious but although he is able to converse and interact with adults now, will this change once he's an adult himself ?

I was diagnosed with high functioning autism which may be the same thing as AS, and I've never needed routine either, nor do I take everything literally. :3

I think the thing about not understanding others' feelings is totally false; just a large misinterpretation of symptoms. And actually, I just found an article about it: http://www.thestar.com/article/633688

But any diagnosis, I think, is just a specialist's best judgment according to the labels and categories that have been developed, and not like a concrete thing~

That's a good attitude! Reading as somebody not involved, he sounds like quite a character! However, I'm well aware that as a parent or carer, it's a different viewpoint and your patience gets tested to the limit.



One question is: what could a diagnosis of 'anything' provide that you can't provide anyway? He has some aspects of his behavior that you find understandably difficult. Is it possible to focus on those specific aspects, unique to him, rather than getting a diagnosis that is not a good fit? There isn't any scientifically proven treatment for AS, services are limited or non-existant.

From what you say, I think you know this already, but I just want to back you up: you are the expert on your son, not any psychiatrist or psychologist. Which is not to say you should ignore them, but not assume they know more about your son than you do.

Some states offer medicaid programs that are NOT income based for people who have disabilities however it is often difficult to qualify. If you don't have a job that covers health insurance than it does seem close to impossible to find insurance.

I'm in the UK so I don't have to worry about medical insurance, Thanks. The reason I'd like him to be diagnosed is that he needs the teachers to be patient with him where his hand writing is concerned. I don't want him being punished for it or moved down in sets because he can't keep up. If he is diagnosed then it is the schools duty to obtain funding to ensure Jamie gets help from specialists so that he may reach his true potential. It would also mean that I would have access to parent teacing classes on how best to approach the social issues that he may have so that I can prepare him for high school, college and university.
Thanks everybody for your replies.

There are a million and one ways the medical insurance companies will deny you individual coverage, or increase the cost. If it isn't AS, it will be something else. Honestly, I didn't realize they might use AS as an exclusion, but there are already so many things in my families life that exclude us what difference does it make? Headaches, back pain, depression, allergies, any unexplained dizziness, EVER, and so on.

There is an end run around the problem. You get yourself into a group plan. Many business organizations offer group plans to all their members. You join the business organization, and you're in.

Thank goodness.

Now, if we can fix the healthcare system so that no one has to jump through hoops like that, even better, but your absolute statement above is not accurate.

Just because he doesn't need strict routine doesn't mean he doesn't fit the criteria. If he does less well when his routine is disrupted then that can also count. In addition, his routine could be things that you're not thinking of. My son's routines are a stuffed animal in bed and his mother singing to him before bed. Other than that he's fine with whatever but if you don't give him his stuffed animal or a his song it's going to be messy.

Try not to look for an all inclusive lists of haves or have nots. There are more of indications, the DSM-IV can be interpreted in many ways.

The "no emotions" thing and the "unaware of other people's emotions" is false. In the end he may not show emotions the way you'd expect or he may not pick up on peoples feelings the same way as most people. I've talked to several Aspies in depth about some of their biggest stressors and it is often other people's emotions. The difference is that they don't pick it up in the normal ways, there are other ways of picking up on how a person is feeling, like the sounds they make when they move. I can subconsciously process these sounds that tell me a lot about a person but I often get insights at times that other people don't and conversely I miss things that are obvious to most. I can instantly tell if I will become someone's friend if given the chance by the small sounds they make. That one's harder to explain but it's proved true. My one friend had a food allergy that made him disagreeable at times. I could instantly tell if he had eaten something bad by hearing him move.

All that to explain that there may not be a complete lack of ability but a alteration of ability.

Couldn't wanting to eat the same foods all the time qualify as a need for routine? You mentioned your son has a hard time accepting new foods.