turning it on and off or maybe not ASPIE?

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I'm looking for some feedback-

My almost 16 year old son is home for the holiday break. For 98% of the time his behavior has been typical for him, i.e; cannot appropriately interact with his younger sibs, hyper, anty, bored, extremely immature behavior, very disruptive, stimming, etc. However, out of the blue one morning he woke up and was different, more able to manage himself, playing nicely with his sibs, no stimming, answering questions with an appropriate volume, and so on. It seems that he has days where he seems 100% aspie and then every so often (but very rarely)he'll have days like this and I question his diagnosis. His good days are not triggered by any extermal event or situation. They just happen randomly, out of the blue like I mentioned. He claims not to be able to see any difference in his behavior whatsoever, even when I point out very specific behaviors that are different.

And I should mention that his behavior at school is different than at home. He is extremely quiet and "shy",doesn't make eye contact, hates to be called on by his teachers, won't ask questions, etc. But he isn't innapropriate or picking on people, or interacting with them like he does at home, has never been disruptive, etc. This has always been curious to me.

If his diagnosis is correct then he should demonstrate the same behaviors across the board on a consistent basis. I do understand that everyone has their good days and bad, of course, and that kids can be different in various situations. When I look at the entire picture I just can't wrap my brain around it and have it make sense.

I'd like to know from your experience if aspies can control, to some degree, or over compensate for their challenges in some situations. Or if there is some other determining factor to how symptomatic you are.

**Let me be very clear that I love and accept my son and don't want to change who he is. I don't look at non-nt behavior as something bad or that needs to be medicated or changed. It's just that so much of the time my sons behavior hinders him terribly and causes much stress for him and us.**

I can't say anything about the other things tou mentioned, but I do know that the less stressed I am, the less stimming I do. Stress is not always related to how many strssful situations (or their level of stressfulness) I am exposed to, although that is a factor, as the mood/mindset I wake up in will determine how much the stressful situations "wind me up."

Does he sleep better before his "good days?" I find that the less sleep I have, the more my aspie tendencies show, and from what I've heard others say, sleep problems are widespread among Aspies.

A woman wrote once (sorry, I can't remember her name) that she can act normal but the longer she is expected to act that way, the bigger the "crash" when she does. Her own words were "I am a high-functioning autistic, not a low functioning NT" and that the sooner people accept this, the easier it will be for her to deal with it.

Do his "100% Aspie" days tend to come immediately after his "good days? Perhaps your child is trying to restrain his behaviours, even unconscoiusly, on those "good days" and then "crashing" afterwards?

Also don't forget to throw adolescence into the mix? Even NT teens have hormonal surges and mood swings-maybe these have an effect?

I hope this has been of help to you.

JulieArticuno

Have you explained all this to the person you see with your son? Coz really should be asking them about it or the groups you go to, we are not exactly expert's sound's more like you should be talking to them about your concerns.

Not pointing you away but they will be better at giving you advice and that... I know some other stuff come with a seasonal type – don’t know if any are off and on ,which as you know As people have more than 1 thing probably wrong...

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=297&a=3368 have you tested all this stuff?

Notsont,

The perfect person might be in there somewhere. It is DOUBTFUL he is faking! He DOES sound like he could be ASPIE. There are a few possible reasons for his good days. First, he CAN be more comfortable with siblings. That is a given.

1. Did his diet change? Some allergies CAN create or exacerbate autistic behavior.
2. Were his siblings treating him better? f he was more comfortable and occupied there he probably would appear less autistic.
3. Maybe he was trying harder, or it was just the way the nuerotransmitters are. I used to stim a lot, etc... I noticed it HAS increased with my taking the tryptophan and acetyl-l-carnitine. BOTH are basically needed amino acids.

BTW he COULD try acting more normal, but under more normal situations that isn't a good idea. He may just be doing that when playing with his siblings. That is understandable. Don't think he is trying to fool you, etc...

Steve

When I was young I was a different,more relaxed person at home because I found it a
haven compared to school which was intimidating and stressfull. Even so,with Asperger's
there is an element of irrational anxiety so behaviour isn't always predictable.It's possible
your son doesn't fully realise when he's doing certain things as self-awareness develops
at a different rate from 'NT's.
I think it's because AS is a milder form of autism,that the symptoms may only appear
under stress. There is a level of control but it's as much to do with stress levels as
with the behaviour itself. With other conditions on the spectrum you'd certainly see more
consistency but sometimes people with AS can be almost impossible to distinguish from
'NT's,unless you actually witness the symptoms first hand.