aspergers..???

[1980lou]

hi i was wondering if you could help. my 10 year old son came home with school report.teacher said my son has no interaction with other children or adults which is causing a concern. he has trouble reading and his writing is very scruffy..he enjoys maths..i my self have noticed some problems at home. my son never plays out, prefers to be alone, sometimes appears deaf. he has a huge dinosaur collection. i have taken him to my doctors and my doctor has told me to take him to the school nurse about this, the problem is my son has now left primary school and is going to high school in september..i dont know what to do.?


This discussion is related to Does my son have Asperger's Syndrome?.

[jdtm]

Another suggestion would be PDD-NOS - pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified.  This disorder is also on the autism spectrum but is often a higher functioning form of autism than Asperger's.  I might suggest you google the phrase "PDD NOS" or the full term "pervasive developmental disorder" to see if the description of behaviours is similar to those of your son.

I would suspect your "high school" would have some type of student services or resouces that you could access.  Most high schools in most countries have access to student medical facilities as well - your school principal should be able to inform you of this.  If there is no help from your school and you suspect Asperger's or PDD-NOS, then go back to your doctor and ask for a referral to a specialist in developmental issues as autism.

A friend of mine read a book called "House Rules" by Jodi Picoult.  She is best seller author and this book is in all the bookstores (purchased mine in Wal-Mart) as well as available on-line and in local libraries.  I have only started reading my copy but it is about a young fellow who suffers from Asperger's.  My friend, who is a teacher consultant of children suffering from autism within our local school board, says this author did her "homework".  She claims the description of a child with Asperger's was "dead on".  So, perhaps reading this fictional book might also help you with your son.  Just a suggestion .... All the best ...

[specialmom]

Hm.  You don't say where you live.  I'm guessing it is not the US by the way you describe the school years.  At 10, a child is still in elementary(primary) school in the US and then usually goes to middle school and highschool when they are about 14 or so.  But . . . in the US, schools are by law required to evaluate children for disorders when requested by a parent and then special services are added into the school day if needed.  Is there any such thing where you reside?

There are other things to think about besides aspergers.  Aspergers is on the autistic spectrum and is often called "high functioning autism".  Speech is often unusual in an aspergers child in that they talk like a "little professor".  They have special areas of interest and talk and talk about these.  They are often above level intelligence and reading is usually several grades above.  (unless they have a learning disability such as dyslexia).  Social skills are impeded as you've noted.  But . . . I'd look into ADD and sensory integration disorder as well.  Appearing deaf can be auditory processing issues.  Lack of social skills could be any of these mentioned disorders.  Not wanting to read or write could be any of these issues as well.  

I'd google them all and see if anything rings a bell.  There are strategies to undertake for each one but can be a little different.  

There are ways to help with social skills------- but please first google ADD, sensory integration disorder and aspergers and see lists of symptoms and stories about kids that have these to see what you think matches best to your child.
goodluck