Child with Aspergers Syndrome

My son was diagnosed with PDD (also a form of autism) at the age of 2 years 4 months. It's not easy and he definitely was not the easiest of kids to handle. He had/has some behavioral problems (not in school though)(he saves it all for myself and my husband). I have to say he has gotten lots of therapies since he was 20 months old and he is now in a full day kindergarten program. (1/2 self contained, 1/2 integrated class) and he is doing great. Just take it one day at a time. Although my son does not have Aspergers, still please feel free to vent, talk to me. I'm always here to listen.

K. look up this site ScarletRules.us/The Reign of the Red King this is my daughter's Darline, web site about my grandson Rory who is autistic and she has done wonders with him. I am very proud of both of their accomplishments. All of her hard work has given my grandson a real chance at the most "normal" life that he could have been cheated.Good Luck

Hi-
I am an occupational therapist that works in a public school program where we have a special program geared for children with Asperger's and 'high functioning" autism. From what I have experienced, once you go through the battery of evaluations from the doctor or neuropsychologist, you may have recommendations to go through evaluations for speech, OT and if needed PT, even counseling. It's a lot of evals in the future, but necessary if your child needs thosse services to help in the future.

hi i am a 44 year old stay at home due to injury not by choice we have a 27 year old downsyndrome a bi poler bear . stepson and a14 year old that is slow. a 26 year old daughter she is fine . we try to keep things as normal as possable.routeen, all the x thanks for writing would like to learn more about aspergers syndrome. thanks for giving me a chance to write ,it is frustrating,but they are in our lives for a reason .we are blessed.

I am not a mom of a child with Aspergers, but I am a mom AND a professional in the field (well, I was in another life before becoming a SAHM!!) I concentrated in the Autism spectrum, and Asperger's in particular, in my Master's program and have lots of experience with children who have the disorder - both in my professional and personal life. Feel free to ask me any questions that you might have. Good luck to you!!

My oldest son was diagnosed with ADHD and Aspergers when he was in elementary school. He had resource room to help him in school and we went to counseling so he and would learn how to cope with social situations and I would learn how to teach him.
That son will be graduating from college in May! Last night he starred in a college production play, where he got a standing ovation. So do not be afraid of the diagnosis. Seek out help do alot of reading so you know how to advocate for your child. There is alot of help out there. People function everyday with Aspergers. In my house its a non-issue.
good luck to you.

Autism Speaks is offering a new 100 Day Kit, a personalized resource to assist families in getting through the critical time following an autism diagnosis. It is now available online. Use the link below for more information. You can also contact me directly. My almost 8 year old son was diagnosed over 5 years ago so we know the system fairly well. I can also recommend some private therapists in the event your school district doesn't provide adequate services.

http://www.autismspeaks.org/press/100_day_kit.php

Hi K.- I do not have children who have autism or Aspergers, but I work in a school which has many children who have both Autism and Asperger's. All I can say is that it is really a great thing your son has been diagnosed and is being treated early on. Early intervention, treatment, and diagnosis can only benefit your son in a positive way where he long-term outcome is concerned.. especially where he is at school-age now. There is book I am currently reading which may be helpful to you. It is called "Look Me in the Eye" by John Elder Robison. This man has Asperger's, and he wrote the book, so it is basically a first hand account of his experiences as a child who was not diagnosed early on. Here is a website/blogspot he has it may have helpful resources for you? http://jerobison.blogspot.com You can also do a search on youtube and find him on there. His younger brother also wrote a book called "Running with Scissors" I have not read this, but other teachers at school have said it was also a great a book. I wish you and your family only the best.

Hi K.. I have a nephew that has Aspergers. He is 22 now and wasn't diagnosed with it until he was 10-12 years old I think. 10-15 years ago they didn't know much about it or diagnose it much either because of that. I have learned about it through him and my sister. I also have a son with some sensory issues that my nephew had and still has some of them. Please let me know what I can do to help you out. If I can answer any of your questions,or give you any pointers I will.
G. :-)

I have an 11 year old son with Asberger's. My best advice is to make sure he is receiving all the services he needs. My son at that age was getting individual and group speech, OT and PT. Plus socialization therapy in small groups. My son had a hard time playing with others, he would play near them, but by himself. My son started out in an enclosed classroom and moved on to a LD class with mainstreaming into other academic and specials classes. Hope this helps.

Hi K.!
My son (3 yo) was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (autism) back in September 07. It is very frustrating, confusing and upsetting!
Feel free to ask any questions or if you just need support.

Hi, my 5 1/2 year old son officially has PDD -- pervasive developmental disorder -- but our developmental pediatrician who made the diagnosis refers to him as "Aspergers-ish". (He didn't talk early so he doesn't meet the criteria 100 percent, as I understand it.)

He's been receiving services for developmental delays (stemming from the late talking, which was my first and only clue to have him checked) since he was about 2 1/2, so we've had a diagnosis of sorts for a while now, but feel free to ask me questions, I'll tell you what I know! We're in NYC.

You might also contact Dawn, a mom of a child with Asperger's who is a moderator for at least one autism forum, she is a terrific resource and also lives in CT. Tell her that Jan -- aka Duckyboy's mom -- sent you! She and a group of other advisors can be found at http://www.cafemom.com/group/76/ (and I see that another poster has also recommended the cafemom boards).

I haven't posted at cafemom but used to be active on the previous incarnation of the message boards when they were still called ClubMom. Dawn was/is great and there looks to be plenty of info on the board to help you get started with answers to at least some questions.

Good luck!
Jan

Having Aspergers is not as frightening as one think. The children with Aspergers are usually high functioning. Go online to the Aspergers Syndrome website and you will find a support site for family. I work with special need children. I also have a nephew with Aspergers along with ADHD. He is now a senior in HS and on the honor roll. He is hard to follow in his conversations, but he is also wonderful to listen to.
Best wishes,

Hi, K.!

My daughter has Asperger's Syndrome, too! She is 15. I joined a great on-line support group. If you want, you can e-mail me at ____@____.com and I can give the information to you.

Deb

Hi my son is almost 2 and in the process of being diagnosed. Currently he is in developmental intervention and they are waiting until he is actually 2 to retest and give a more definitive diagnosis but they feel it is autism. I don't have any advise yet except that I found lots of info on www.poac.net and thru COSAC.org

Any advise you can give me will also be appreciated.

I was the regular babysitter for a little boy with Asperger's until he was old enough for school. He is now 11, and doing very well. He is in regular classes with special enrichments throughout the day, and has a nearly normal social life. My own older brother was "the weird kid" while we were growing up, very smart but socially backward and totally obsessed with all things relating to building; all his difficulties from back then totally fit the Asperger's profile. Had the knowledge been available back then, I am certain that he would have had a much easier time. As it is now, he's quite successful in the construction and design industry, and married with nearly grown kids.

Yes, it is frustrating -- you have a great breakthrough one day, and ten minutes later, it's as if it never happened. My advice is to smile and keep going, and do your crying in private or with a trusted friend. There are many on-line resources available that I hope you are taking advantage of. The more you know, the better. There are also support groups all over the place.

While it is important for you to give as much support as possible, do not fall into the trap of over protecting your son. He still has to learn to cope with the real world, so you must develop a tough enough skin to allow him to fall sometimes! Also, don't let anyone make you feel as if you are failing in any way because your child is not doing exactly the same things as all the other kids -- we all know parents who play the "my kid is better/smarter/prettier than yours" game, and it is particularly hurtful when there is something holding your child back. Don't fall into that trap.

Best of luck. I wish you the best.

Hey K.,

My son is 3 1/2, and diagnosed with High Functioning Autism. Very similar to Asperger's but he has a speech delay, which differentiates the two diagnoses. Feel free to ask anything you like, I'm happy to help.

I have found a fantastic online support group for Moms wioth kids on the Autism spectrum. It is at www.cafemom.com. They have boards for all kinds of things. One of them is the Autism/Aspergers/PDD awareness board. There are almost 9,000 moms registered there. It is very active, and the moms there are very supportive and super-knowledgeable. I don't know how I would have gotten through the diagnosis process without them. Take a look.

Jess

i saw a special on NY1 TV channel the other day about an organization in Staten Island for young boys with autism. It revolves around playing basketball, but i think the point was to get kids with autism (and their parents) together to talk and build relationships. It sounded like something worth checking out... maybe you could look on NY1's website.

all the best!

Hi K.,
Start with eliminating toxic chemicals out of your home. Your son is likely highly allergic to them. I recommend you look into natural products.
L.
www/LiveTotalWellness.com/L.

My cousin's son has Aspergers.