I think my 3 yr old has mild symptoms af AS. He hasnt been diagnosed yet, but I dont even know where to start. Is this something I ask my pediatriton about or do I go on my own to have him evaluated? While I was reading the stories of AS children some of them sounded exactly like my son and then others didnt at all, its so confusing. I was just reading on a website and it led to more and more information and now Im worried that everything Im doing for him is all wrong. I thought he was just a difficult child. If anyone has any advise it would be great.
L.,
I would suggest that you find a place that handles testing for autism. Even ff they don't test for AS, because it's in the same family, they may no where to direct you. You should also ask your pediatrician too. They should be able to direct you to a specialist.
Good luck and don't try to figure this out on your own. Take him asap.
Good luck
L. C
Personal Nutritionist
www.herbalmom.com
I have a son with Asperger's Syndrome.
Regional Center will test your son for free. That would be a great place to start.
MAIN CENTER
4355 Ruffin Rd., Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92123
phone: ###-###-####
fax: ###-###-####
Best of Luck
Just to more specific, contact your home school (the school that your children are supposed to attend in your neighborhood) and they will be able to direct you to the right people concerning special education evaluations. If you believe it or not, don't take it too hard when they give you a harsh "diagnosis" - the worse label they give him, the more services he will receive. On the other hand, you as the parent know best on what your child needs, so when they offer you their professional advice, ask for OPTIONS and TRUST your instincts. It's going to be confusing at first so don't hesitate to reach out and ask for more advice from other moms.
I have a 6 yr old daughter who we had evaluated at 4 yrs old - we felt that she wasn't autistic but that she still had special needs. We fought the autistic label and settled for the Developmental Delay (DD) label - less services but more appropriate for her needs. Our concern is that she would be placed in a lower functioning class. She is now a first grader who is in a typical (general ed) class and surviving very well with support from us at home and also minimum support from the school's special ed teacher. I also have a 3 yr old boy who is definitely autistic - at the moment, we have school district as well as Regional Center services. After what we went through with our daughter, we were old pros by the time my son came along, and it served us well.
Hopefully, your son doesn't have AS - but if it turns out that he does, there are plenty of help and support all around. Don't hesitate to ask.
Good luck!
My daughter is looking for a friend with children about her sons age. A matter of fact, I believe that she has already responded to your message (her name is Ali).
She passed her computer off to me because she thought that I might be able to give you some directions concerning your worries about your son. I am a special ed. teacher, so I have some experience. In case you are unaware, there is a law that states that school districts are responsible for locating and testing any child regardless of age; therefor, my advice to you is to contact your local school district special ed. dept and don't let them blow you off. They are bond by law to assess your child. It has been proven that if a child has aspergers or autism, the earlier strategies are begun the more successful they are, so be your child's strongest avocate and start pressing for a diagnosis. Also if you are given a diagnosis of aspergers or autism, the Regonial Center is an agency that provides a lot of assistance. If your school district doesn't help you contact the Regonial Center. Good luck.
