My daughter was diagnosed with non autistic sterio tipes when she was 5. She contorts her face and hands and wiggles legs when she is excited or really happy. When she was in 1st grade she was diagnosed with ADHD. She has had problems in school and has a IEP in school. Has super bad problem focusing...teacher says my daughter now 12 is the worst case of fading out she has seen now the funNY thing is she also tells me she has a incredible vocabulary, she is having issues being social and prefers to go to the library when she is done with lunch instead of hanging with friends. She is very sweet but gets a angry quick like if the cat is making noise playing with things. She puts all her toys in rows and you better not knock one over by accident. She seems to get obsessed with animals or an idea and can't stop talking about it. She can not have a convers at ion only talks about her interests, she has has very bad cordination problems. I've bought 6 bikes and she can't seem to be able to ride a bike, She has tutor but can't learn her multiplication and division. Seems very intelligent. I don't understand. Has had sleep problems for years. Something is off and doctors keep telling me she's fine. And she seems to be getting harder to deal with. Will not do things with repeated asking. I think she had aspergers. Does anybody think this is aspergers or an idea what's wrong?
Doctors say my 12 yo daughter is fine only ... - Autism Support
Doctors say my 12 yo daughter is fine only has adhd but I think she has aspergers.
She also has eating issues. She very thin. Will only eat at the most 10 things. Will forget to eat if not told too. Forgets to drink anything until she is sick. I've taken her to a food specialist she said after 8 sessions that there was nothing wrong with her. She loves art and is quite good at it. She at 12 still has conversations with imaginary people. Tells me she knows they are not real but does it all the time. It looks like she prefers her dream world to the real world. Does her homework then put it in bottom of backpack instead of turning it in and forgets about it. I have to constantly check that she has been turning in homrwork. She is so sweet. And I want to get help for her. There isn't anyone where I live that specializes in her issues. I'm willing to drive to Seattle to get her help and am in the process of trying to find someone but do not want to take her to just anyone. Anyone know of someone good in Seattle?
You could be describing my son! He is 9 and behaves in the same way in just about everything you mention...extreme lack of focus, eats on his own, trouble with maths ( he has a tutor too), bad coordination, can't/won't ride a bike, toys all aligned, sleep problems, anger issues (especially if somebody isn't following rules), very limited diet.... As I say, just about all of it.
He has a diagnosis of High Functioning Autism, which is very close to Asperger Syndrome, barring a few subtle differences. It sounds like your daughter may also have ASD or AS, although I don't think AS is diagnosed in the USA anymore.
I can't help with anybody in Seattle I'm afraid as I live in the UK (England).
I recently found out from my son that he eats on his own because he can't look at other kids eating with their mouths open. He finds it gross, and it puts him off his own food. We find out new things about him all the time!
I hope you manage to talk to a professional who can help you out. If you have any questions for me, just ask, I am happy to try to help.
Your daughter shows all the classic traits of Asbergers. Unfortunately there is such a poor understanding of this neurodevelopmental illness it's common to say ADHD. ADHD is basically flitting from thing to thing and hyperactivity.
The reason your daughter goes to the library is that is quiet and she feels safe, no one to talk to so its easier for her to cope. The hand issues, skipping, jumping, all issues. Her obsession will animals. Vocabulary , yes spot on issue. These temper tantrums are meltdowns, they just can't cope with all the sensory overload due to anxiety. Sleep is also a factor. Mine has sleep depravation issues over the years, did not sleep through the night till he was six. It's all to do with the not following through, prediction, they can't understand if they stay up all night what the consequences are, such as being too tired and not going to school the next day, keeping family awake. They do this because this world is easier for them to cope with.
My middle son can't ride a bike, he has dyspraxia, like me, one of the associated illnesses . Also have your daughter checked for dyslexia and dyscalculia, I have all three.
Basically what can happen , my youngest has eventually been diagnosed at 17, he has Aspergers , when he was young he had ADHD as well, now has Asbergers and ADD. Getting him to focus with short term memory loss. Does she really struggle in English and Religious Education where there is a lot of talk about feelings.
First of all do a family history, has anyone else been diagnosed with the associated illness , dyslexia, Tourette's, epilepsy, you get my drift. Go back to grandparents. Then look for the Predicion part, not following through.
My 19 year old can't ride a bike , the 18 year old can. Each person on the Spectrum is unique. There are obvious signs of obsessions , routines, putting things in straight rows. My youngest does the same as your daughter, can ask him time after time to do something, can take days, weeks, months or never.
Whatever you do find a Specialist in Adbergers. Remember each case is unique. Your daughter is showing traits of other issues like dyspraxia. It's a case of getting one diagnosis and moving onto the next.
Part of the saying I'm fine is trying to fit in to a world they have difficulty understanding.
Does your daughter have food issues, picky eater. Tummy upsets, diahorrea is common, avoiding school, routine of a morning going to school or issues with homework, mine switched off to homework, they had had such a sensory overload could not cope. The other I had few problems, he wanted to please.
Anxiety is one of the major issues in Adbergers, so get in there quickly , get the diagnosis and get the support. Make sure the support goes straight in because if it's not put in the anxiety will only get worse and there is a possibility your daughters issues will get worse, like staying up all night and the worst scenario self harm, that becomes not obsession and it's difficult to deal with.
Mums are 95% correct. With the right help and support its amazing what can be achieved. It's not what they can't do it's what they can.
I hope you get your answer soon.
Sorry I missed the food part, the joys of dyslexia and ADD. The youngest is a total nightmare food wise. Stopped eating normally at 18 months. Was told over the years it's was naughty twos, blond hair and blue eyes, he would grow out of it, he would eat when he goes to the high school. It's all to do with over under sensitivity to taste texture, not following through if they don't eat. Mine is the packets change, or it's not the right brand or cooked correctly. I have learnt over the years, although very frustrating give him what he copes with. One in four children who stop eating are not believed to be autistic. Boys are worse than girls. There is also the social situation, I give my son food at his computer desk. When we go out I tell folks he has an eating allergy , one it's easier to explain , two it's save him the embarrassment, I know it should not be like that but it works. The other is due is that if they don't eat correctly it often causes either constipation or diahorrea , both associated with pain. Then you get the food equals pain.
The other side to this is over eating, can't predict the consequences. It works both ways. Dietitians I have met are clueless.
I have know of one person who would only eat hard boiled eggs and advacodo pears. Luckily both mine drink .
I have no other advise than if it works do it. One friend has put a tent up in the lounge and her son eats in that. Help with the anxiety part and see what happens.
As one parent said to me, "They have no idea what happens at home". , never a true word. My youngest will only eat a handful of things, so what, if that is what he can cope with so be it.
Good Luck.
Everything you gave me is so helpful. I read the adult add/adhd and I have no doubt I am. How scary is that! Ha The blind leading the blind...my poor girl. There is no organization in our lives. Only good thing is I've seem to channel mine into work I love and do well. I've learned over the years to know what I can do and can't. So I delegate certain things like bookkeeping and such to others. I hope my girl can learn to be a functioning adult one day and be happy in whatever way that is for her. How kind of you to take the time to write all these things for someone you don't even know. It's helped more than you know. I wish the best for you and your boys
Sorry for the disjointed replies busy with medication . When you look at the issues with Asbergers, it's autism whatever you call it, only difference is if you have an IQ below 70 it's Autism, above that it's Asbergers. That's the UK. Issues are exactly the same. Many Down's syndrome folks have both but it's near impossible to get the right diagnosis.
The issues with eating , if you look at smell, can be over sensitive, must be horrible, like wrt coats, smelly things , the same with texture, can cause pain. Mine had a very bland diet. Sight, too colourful , too bright, put yourself in their world, work with them, don't try and fit them in ours, one system does not fit all.
Hope this makes sense .
facebook.com/ChildAutismUK/...
The most accurate account of Parents with children on the Spectrum.
Have you tried Autism Speaks, their helpline or chat sites. Don't go with the first suggestion, do your research. It will pay off.
My youngest had major issues with handing in homework, even doing it. Part of that was switching off, too much too cope with at school, block that out. I called his school bag the opposite to Mary Poppins bag, nothing came out , reminded him of a world difficult to cope with. Sometimes it works that the child stays in school and does the homework there. Explaining to teachers who don't understand Autism is a nightmare. There are some who really get it, sadly few and far between.
If it's any consolation , I live in UK , it's very much a Post Code Lottery, Zip Code I believe you call them. Where I live it's shocking.
You will get more sensible advise on sites like this . Make a diary of everything that happens. If you could video events all the betterTake in school reports. Ask other parents with Autistic Children locally , it's amazing what you find out. Just found out one of mine does not dream, sleep is a world that's difficult, has no social imagination to dream.
We are all on the Spectrum, it's when the behaviour is different to the norm. As I said earlier it's the prediction , not following through that you are looking for.
Simply explained the messages in the brain don't get passed properly so they can't follow through their actions. The major issue is Anxiety, Oxford University are doing research into this, I have donated my brain for medical research. It's not to find a diagnosis but to help with this issue. One of the Doctors doing the research is on the Spectrum.
One day a blood test will diagnose, MRI research it's all ongoing. Look at the bigger picture, that was my mistake,the dyslexia, epilepsy etc, issues associated with the Spectrum, it's all relevant.
Why don't you start a local support group, just a bunch of folks sitting having a coffee once a month, no committees nothing formal, support one another . Swop ideas, share what's happening, have a laugh, or cry, it makes a huge difference , believe me.
Have you read, The Reason I Jump, it's very good explaining how an Autistic feels and his thoughts.
Hi Yiman, the Mary Poppins bag raised a laugh of recognition. My son's school bag is the same...a black hole!
Homework is also a nightmare with him. A ten minute task can take an hour, and involve shouting and tears...and then he forgets to hand it in!
His teacher makes the right noises but she's quite old school and I get the impression that she doesn't quite accept autism as a genuine condition. She told me that his work had gone downhill after she moved him from a desk on his own to a shared table with five other kids. His statement recommends that he should have his own workplace, with as few distractions as possible to help him focus on his work. Is it any wonder his work went downhill?!!
Sorry, just having a rant. Excellent advice you're giving.
helpguide.org/articles/add-...
Has your son ever been assessed for ADD as well as Asbergers. Just a thought. I had two young men to compare. If I had the youngest first would have had no more children. But he can be the kindest thoughtful young man at times. I knew this one was different from the other one. Main issue is the concentration, flitting from thing to thing.
Look at the issues, one for ADHD and ADD is asking them time after time to do things. You add on the shutting out the horrible time they have had a school due to sensory overload , bright lights, too noisy that's the Autism part.
It's like a jigsaw , fitting all the issues to a correct diagnosis. It's the same as tests exams, it's OK saying we give them extra time, single room, if you can understand things like feelings, eg English they are always at a disadvantage. Won't even go down being blunt, his views on Working Mums and RE he could be racist. Did not mean to, it's an issue with Autism.
It would be worth following through.
So helpful. Thank you.
journeytoexcellence.org.uk/...
If only every school was like this. My local schools did not even know the basics of Autism, you get the I have done this for 20 years , you are wrong. Screams.
Youngest I was told he was lazy and winging it. It was me who worked out Autism. Children's Mental Health took a year to get Autism diagnosis, I had to plead for a referral to Adult Services, it was them who diagnosed the ADHD then ADD.
The eldest, was expected to go to first class Uni, because of late diagnosis, was eventually diagnosed within 6 weeks by Adult services will spend his life on Social Security .
After my two I recognised two further in youngest year. There are so many folks out there not being diagnosed , referred, get in quick and the difference is amazing.
The Policies and Statagies are not worth the paper they are written on.
Won't ever give give up to get a better understanding , it's too late for so many of us, Together we will get the support and understanding these children need.
One day seems a long way off but together we will get there for these amazing brave children.
Try going back into school , explain Why they do it part, you never know, it might make a difference. There are links on different websites talking about the homework issues.
Let me know if it works.
This guy is AMAZING.
You will understand when you read the Story. Works on Skype as well 😇
Is there anyone does this service in your area?
No. I live in a small town. I put aspergers/ adhd on a search in my area and got the Doc she saw for eating problems that said she was fine after 8 sessions...how funny is that! That's what I'm dealing with. Seattle is 3 hours away. Im sure that is probably where I can get the most help.
Checked learning space out. Looks amazing! Asked for info. Thanks once again.
The dietician we saw said " Only the worst Autistic Children have eating issues". Totally clueless. How about the reason one of mine skipped after standing up from the computer was " He had been sitting too long", that came from a so called Specialist. !!! Another teacher said about the sleep depravation " Can't you tell him to go to bed". The answers show how misunderstood anything on the AS is.
theguardian.com/lifeandstyl...
If every school had this. Brilliant idea.
Used to sit in school meetings to utter tosh, that's being polite. The word Really is useful 🙄
It's finding that person who really understands, they are Special.
It's my boys bravery that keeps me going.
I stumbled across your post while researching an article I'm writing and I had to immediately set up an account to respond to your question. There is no doubt in my mind that your daughter falls on the "spectrum". Recently the DSM Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth edition, replaced the diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome/disorder, and now as of May 18, 2013, everyone is crammed into the "autism spectrum". Previously the categories were Autism, Asperger's and Pervasive Developmental Delay Not Otherwise Specified, - PDD-NOS (which is we don't really know and they may change with therapies so we will label with this and by the time the child is 6 in the school setting we will pick a more appropriate definition). This is what Miss Montana Alexis Wineman was diagnosis with however, in those days the diagnosis did not change/evolve, but I digress. I often do that.
The textbook diagnosis of Autism, somewhat paraphrased a bit, is: a lifelong developmental condition characterized by difficulties in social interactions, communications, restrictive and repetitive interests, sensory sensitivities, which also result in behavioral difficulties.
Let's start with your questions, My apologies for being abrupt, however unfortunately I am quickly responding as I was running out the door, saw your question pop up in a search query and signed up to respond (now that's ADD
The first obstacle you have in reaching your diagnosis is the "my daughter" statement the powers that be often think Autism is a male diagnosis. Yes there ration is 4:1 with males in the lead, yet there is that 1 lone misunderstood female. I can not begin to tell you how many of my patients are diagnosed with ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Bi-Polar Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Generalized Anxiety disorder, and so on who really only need one primary diagnosis, Autism. The truth is that many of the symptoms of Autism have symptoms in every one of the above categories. There is an excellent book by Martin L. Kits her, 2005, titled Kids in the Syndrome Mix of ADHD, LD, Asperger's, Tourette's, Bipolar, Anxiety and more. This book clearly shows the layering of symptoms and how children can be misdiagnosed.
In the example above, we have almost every example of Autism - Impaired social interaction, prefers to be alone in library-ironically a quiet place- than with friends in the cafeteria- a not so quiet place. Also children with high functioning Autism tend to have an immense vocabulary, often hyperlexic, love letters and reading, yet have very restricted speaking patterns. Children on the spectrum, I have 2, will often "talk at you" not speak with you. Family members might say the child is rude or arguing, but typically they are just telling you what they need. They often miss the meaning of idoms, such as "let the cat out of the bag" my eldest was devastated as he thought someone put his cat in a bag and was searching for the perp! Kids will make jokes, or participate in cultural phenomenon, recently we have the: "what are those?" In a very particular style with both hands pointing to the other's shoes, it is a vine that went viral. You can google it. Well, my youngest, came home to inform me he was very concerned regarding the hearing of his classmates as they kept asking him, "what are those?" And he had to continually say "my shoes, just like your shoes, we all wear the same shoes" over and over again. We had to explain to him what the other kids were doing.
In reference to the self-soothing behaviors that can be rocking, flapping or any atypical movement, they are referred to as stereotypes, which those in the ASD world refer to as "stimming". It is typical for a child to get excited and flap at 1-3 year old. It is not typical for a 5 year old to continue to "stim" or display stereotypes. I am perplexed the clinicians did not jump to an ASD diagnosis as ADHD children do not engage in stimming behavior. For example, my son who is High functioning Autism, and not Asperger's with ADHD, as I thought like my eldest was prior to the diagnostic change, was placed in the HFA category mainly due to the fact of his stimming. If he didn't stim he would be diagnosed as Asperger's. He was diagnosis officially at 3 years old after 18 months with Early intervention her in the US as during the exit interview, rather than show off all his new found skills, there was a song he didn't like on the radio, and the sound was too loud and well... He kind of lost it! During the transition meeting he spun around upside down on the secretaries chair, kicked his legs, refused to cooperate unless the magic goldfish cracker was presented after each response. He literally was prompted with food, while upside down and spinning in a chair while they turned the test booklet upside down for him to point to his answer. And if that didn't seal our fate, for good measure I guess, he decided to cover his ears, squeeze the speech Therapists arm very lightly will pulling a facial expression that showed intense effort/ strength, those of you whose children do this know exactly what I am describing. And to top it off, he stuck out his tongue and licked the psychologist. I had never seen all those behaviors in one week, let alone within a span of 60 minutes, 2 weeks later, as they were bracing me for the results of his evaluation, although I knew what was coming as I have been down this road before 14 years earlier, the proclamation was made by the psychologist, "ADHD with sensory processing disorder and Conduct disorder!!!" I was stunned, my husband elated. We had spent that past 18 months in speech therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy etc.... And this is what I get? No Way. I challenged the psychologist, I said, "I respectfully disagree" I request another psychologist look at the results. Her response, "your son has an IQ of 133 at 3 years old, it can't be Autism" I replied, "really? Wanna bet? Go ask Temple Grandin, Go ask any of the introverted inventors of our time!!" My husband didn't speak to me for a week. The second opinion came in: High Functioning Autism with ADHD secondary to the HFA. THe sensory processing disorder was due to the autism not a separate diagnosis. THe reason I hash all that up is that even the professionals can get it wrong. Almost all children with Autism have poor motor skills/delays, both fine motor delays- holding a pencil and drinking from a glass, to gross motor delays- the first question I ask, " did your child crawl?" And if yes, "how old were they when they crawled and for how long did they crawl?" If they are older, I ask "can they ride a bike?" If the answer is yes I aske, "with or without training wheels?" And the response for the yea-Sayers is "with training wheels".
So, your daughter has social difficulties, sound sensitivities, possibly difficulties with pragmatic language skills? The talking at you not to you, and lacking the back and forth of typical communication. She hyper-focuses on her "preferred activities or talents" in our house it was Pokemon, and yu-gi-oh and then 14 years later, the same "specialist subjects" why, oh why couldn't it be Star Wars??? I love Star Wars!!! But alas, children from all over the neighborhood would come to my house to ask my children questions about the pokemon's and as long as the topic was on Pokemon or yu-gi-oh my children had friends, deviate from that, they went in the house to play as their friends were no longer interesting.
Socks and various clothing items such as tags or strings, wreaked havoc in my morning routine, children would walk into their classrooms barefoot and would refuse to put their shoes and socks on if there was a bump or other sensory offense. The teachers were shocked at how my apt pupils, who were so well behaved, in fact they could not tell a lie (another autism bonus) yet would become absolutely defiant and refuse to cooperate with the request as if it were a matter of life and death. And to them it was, the string that was pressing up against the toe from the sock's seam was something they could not bear for one second. Once out of desperation, and during testing the teacher was so flustered she proclaimed to keep the peace, "ok, anyone who wants to take off their shoes for the test may do so" she later told me that was the best the class ever did on a test. Your daughters difficulties with the cat playing with toys and making noises and lining up the toys is my son's sock bumps, intolerance to loud noises and he also lines up his toys. In fact that is how I know if he had a rough day. If I walk in and there is que heading down the hall to his room, I go and talk to him straight away.
Here is my advice to you as the kids are now knocking on the door for me to leave, again my apologies for the many grammar mistakes and disjointed tangents.
1.) Trust your gut. Keep plowing ahead don't let anyone get in your way.
2.) Do I think your daughter has autism? Yes, I think it is highly probable, if not an absolute certainty.
3.) pickup some books on Asperger's and High functioning autism. There is a book by Jennifer Cook O'Toole, May 15, 2012, titled Asperkids: An Insiders guide to loving understanding and teaching children with Asperger's syndrome. Another one is Sensational children which talks about sensory processing disorder.
Lastly, I would obtain an evaluation by an Occupational thearapist, and maybe even a speech therapist and specifically ask about communication, pragmatic language skills not articulation and fluency.
I hope this helps, when I have more time I will read more on this forum as I feel it is crucial to have the ability to commiserate and celebrate with parents whose children are similar as one thing I have found for certain, those who have children are the spectrum completely understand those who don't will be emphathetic, yet they have no grasp of the complexities of the situation.
Good luck. And again, Always go with your gut.
What's your daughter like when it comes to balance we thought out two boys would never learn to ride a bike my eldest was nearly 10 when I bought his baby sister a balance bike,they seemed to glide along on it,yet couldn't start riding by peddling.I told my son to try first like the balance bike which he attempted then he attempted peddling once he was happy gliding along,I'd remove the peddles and see if she can use like a balance bike.Once happy then see if she wants you to put the peddles back on,we had stabilisers which they couldn't use.
I found out that my ADD went away when I addressed my vitamin D deficiency syndrome.
I have Aspergers Syndrome, and girls mask the condition better than boys. The deatials that you as a mother can point out points 100% at Autism, better known as ASD/C. I have a question for you, a scenario...two girls are in a room with a doll in the pram and a box, then one girls leaves the room, the other girl(she has Autism) quickly puts the doll in the box, the other girl comes back and wonders why the doll isn't in her pram anymore, she is totally flummoxed and upset, and cries.
Can you tell me which of the girls behaviour matches your daughter's? Would be the one who hid the doll and expected the other girl know that it must be in the box, or would your girl be the one who is now confused and very upset?
This is a diagnostic test.
Thanks.
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