Children with Asperger's Syndrome

[busymommymedia]

My son had speech delays as well. He didn't talk in sentences until he was 3 and wasn't clear until 6.

[Chasing Zen]

Our 16 year old Aspie was pretty typical (although very bright) until age 4 when social issues became more apparent. A few sensory issues but nothing major. We struggled most with age 7-13, now life is in a sweet spot

[eragsdale]

Originally Posted by drunkenmonkeysmommy1 I wanted to mention about the bolded, while that is usually true, it is not always so. My ds lost speech at age one and has been severely delayed until recently(age 9). And he is still somewhat delayed. He is incredibly smart, but processes things differently, has sensory issues, has no emotional response control(he is doing SO MUCH better with this lately), does not "get" social cues, add a little adhd and ocd in there and that about sums it up, lol. But I would not change anything about him

yes, yes, and yes!!!

My oldest is Aspie (he is 5)
this is a modified list - there are lots more, just can't think as i'm at work

*side note: he had major digestive issues from the start*

Birth-12mon
was able to do puzzles before the age of 1yr
lots of sensory issues
had words
repeated things over and over
did not want to be touched

12mon-2yrs
Continued sensory issues
Quirks
No eye contact
“investigating” items
Understand of abstract, but not normal
lost words

2yrs-3yrs
Lost words – started with ECI (early childhood intervention)
ECI, noted quirks & differences
Quirks became more ”interesting”
Change in routine was not allowed
Got upset/meltdowns in stores & traffic
Hyper sensory to motorcycles, lawn mowers, vacuums (he would literally try to become one with the couch)
Started understanding complex situations, but wasn’t able to understand the simple tasks
Lined/stacked – EVERYTHING ( you couldn’t move it)

3yrs-4yrs
SENSORY!!!
Gained most of his words back
Repeated you
No eye contact
Doesn’t know personal space
Doesn’t pick up on cues
Still advancing in some areas, while is delayed in others

3 1/2yrs old - Got diagnosed under 2 different medical teams (both with the same diagnosis) as:
Hypo/Seeking SPD
Mild-Autism with possibility of Asperger’s with x/y/z therapy

He started at a full time therapy center (5days) when he was 3 1/2yrs old

4yrs - current
Just did another re-assessment diagnosis in Aug 2012:
High-functioning Autism (Aspergers)
Hypo/Seeking SPD
SAD (Seasonal Affect Disorder)

He still have sensory things (he flips to hyper/seeking during the fall/winter months and then flips back to hypo/seeking in the spring/summer months)
He processes that of an 10yr old, but still is delayed in “typical milestone areas”
Minimal (2-5sec)/no eye contact
Brain doesn’t shut down at night
Still needs a rigid plan of events
Speaks faster than his mind can keep up

His fixation right now is the universe

[mommabritt]

Originally Posted by ktmelody Sure they can have a secondary speech delay but the dsm states that there is normal or above normal speech in children with aspergers. Its part of the diagnostic criteria. (Speech prior to 2nd birthday) Pddnos does have a speech delay. Not that any of it matters since both pddnos and aspergers will no longer exist after the 2013 dsm 5 comes out. Which is so silly!

I can't bold....but UM WHHAAAATT?!!?! Why is the diagnosis being removed? My son is high functioning but we still need help, therapy, behavioral modification, and a 504 and without his diagnosis none of that will be available to us through insurance.

Can you share more information about this? It point me in a direction? I have a conference with DS pediatrician in a week and ill have to ask about this.

[JamieJLD]

Originally Posted by mommabritt I can't bold....but UM WHHAAAATT?!!?! Why is the diagnosis being removed? My son is high functioning but we still need help, therapy, behavioral modification, and a 504 and without his diagnosis none of that will be available to us through insurance. Can you share more information about this? It point me in a direction? I have a conference with DS pediatrician in a week and ill have to ask about this.

They are expanding the definition of Autism and the theory goes that the people with PDD-NOS and Asperger's are now going to fall into the general Autism Spectrum Disorder category. Of course there are many people who are very concerned that these changes will leave people without the services they need. It is hard to tell right now.

ETA: Here is a good summary of what the DSM-IV was and what the DSM-V will be. It is slated to come out in May of 2013.

http://www.autism.com/index.php/news_dsmV

[ktmelody]

Originally Posted by mommabritt I can't bold....but UM WHHAAAATT?!!?! Why is the diagnosis being removed? My son is high functioning but we still need help, therapy, behavioral modification, and a 504 and without his diagnosis none of that will be available to us through insurance. Can you share more information about this? It point me in a direction? I have a conference with DS pediatrician in a week and ill have to ask about this.

Its just going to be autism spectrum disorder. They have new diagnosic criteria as well.

They feel it will weed out 10 percent of misdiagnosed cases but potentially open up services for children that have not been diagnosed.

I like the new change as it adds in sensory disfunction where it didnt before.

[mommabritt]

Originally Posted by JamieJLD They are expanding the definition of Autism and the theory goes that the people with PDD-NOS and Asperger's are now going to fall into the general Autism Spectrum Disorder category. Of course there are many people who are very concerned that these changes will leave people without the services they need. It is hard to tell right now. ETA: Here is a good summary of what the DSM-IV was and what the DSM-V will be. It is slated to come out in May of 2013. http://www.autism.com/index.php/news_dsmV

Thank you for sharing this. I've googled some but will check this out as well.

Originally Posted by ktmelody Its just going to be autism spectrum disorder. They have new diagnosic criteria as well. They feel it will weed out 10 percent of misdiagnosed cases but potentially open up services for children that have not been diagnosed. I like the new change as it adds in sensory disfunction where it didnt before.

I just hope that DS who falls on the high end of the spectrum doesn't slip through the cracks now because they change the criteria. I do agree that it will streamline it all a bit, maybe even help awareness because there wot be so many different things I explain (Autism is just Autism kwim?) but I fear for the children who need the services and may be removed. That's a slippery slope.

[Mom2jandb]

Thanks everyone for your informative responses.

So, will they actually remove diagnoses, or are the new criteria just for new cases?

[mommabritt]

Originally Posted by Mom2jandb Thanks everyone for your informative responses. So, will they actually remove diagnoses, or are the new criteria just for new cases?

I would assume that the diagnosis will be removed at re-eval time if the child does not meet the new criteria, which is stricter.