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View Full Version : We might be dealing with aspergers - looking for some resources



mikeys_mom
08-14-2012, 05:52 PM
I've posted before about some of the issues DS has been having. We had a psycho-ed assessment done by a psychologist through the school, which ruled out ADHD and noted the possibility of a non-verbal learning disability. It also determined that he is in the superior intelligence range.

We met with a psychiatrist who reviewed the psycho-ed results and did a full history. She wanted us to see a dev. ped to have ADOS testing done because DS does have some ASD behaviours/traits and she wanted to confirm or rule out any ASD disorders.

Just spoke with the dev ped today after she met with the psychiatrist this morning (they work on the same unit in the hospital that runs the child development clinic). She did 2 assessments on DS when we met with her a month ago. One was a social assessment questionnaire done by me. The other was the ADOS. On the social assessment he scored in the mild to moderate range of difficulties with daily functioning. I would agree with that. Makes sense to me.
On the ADOS he scored a 6, which is just under the official aspergers diagnosis of 7. However, she said that it might be a good idea to speak with DS's school and get some additional feedback from the teachers on his level of functioning there. Based on that, it is possible that he could end up with an aspergers diagnosis.

In terms of services at school, the diagnosis doesn't make much of a difference as he is in a private religious school and the special ed co-ordinator will provide whatever resources they can. If he were in public school, it would be more important. Dev ped is leaving on vacation until September. DH and I have a meeting with her and the psychiatrist the first week in September to get some ideas and strategies to help him get off to the right start. School starts right after Labour Day. Spoke with the school today and came up with a list of the top few concerns that we need to deal with ASAP when school starts. She felt strongly that it is important that he get off to a good start this year and to try and undo all the negativity of last year.

The plan is that the dev ped will speak with his teachers in early October once they have gotten to know him a bit and can give her some feedback on how he is functioning in the class. She will then compile all the information and hopefully come up with a formal report/diagnosis.

He is currently doing a once a week social skills group that the psychiatrist highly recommended. Hoping that will give him some good skills.

In the meantime, I am trying to find some good resources to learn more about aspergers. Even if he doesn't end up with the official diagnosis, he is clearly borderline and would likely benefit from some of the aspergers therapies. If anyone has recommended websites or books, I'd appreciate it.

Sorry, this got a bit more rambly than intended. It's just been a long day and lots of phone calls. I'm still trying to process everything myself. I was really hoping to have some more clear answers before school starts.

brittone2
08-14-2012, 08:53 PM
There may be better books out there, but have you ever read any of Temple Grandin's books?

http://www.amazon.com/Temple-Grandin/e/B000AP9AQU

If you go to any of her books, there are lots of other books about Asperger's, etc. that pop up, although I'm not familiar with most of them.

Gena
08-15-2012, 08:53 AM
I highly recommend "The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome" by Tony Attwood.
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Aspergers-Syndrome/dp/1843106698/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345034910&sr=1-1&keywords=the+complete+guide+to+asperger%27s+syndro me+by+tony+attwood

Also, "School Success for Kids with Asperger's Syndrome" by Stephan Silverman.
http://www.amazon.com/School-Success-Kids-Aspergers-Syndrome/dp/1593632150/ref=pd_sim_b_11

I also recommend that you find a local autism/aspergers support group. Knowing other local families can really help.

mikeys_mom
08-15-2012, 03:56 PM
Thank you both for the book recommendations. I've put in requests for them at our library.

The interesting thing is that we have always known that DS walks to his own beat and his mind works differently than we are typically used to. DH and I have been saying for several years, that we'd love to be able to get inside his mind to have more insight into how he thinks. Now that we sort of know what the issues are, I'm hoping that reading some of these books will help us understand how he thinks and processes information.

Gena - yes, we will be joining a local support group. The dev ped suggested waiting until we have a diagnosis or not. We are in a very large city and fortunately have lots of resources so depending on the final results, she has different recommendations for where to seek support.

NCGrandma
08-15-2012, 04:27 PM
I also found the Tony Attwood book very helpful: informative and with a pretty positive tone.

MamaKath
08-31-2012, 10:56 PM
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931282706?ie=UTF8&tag=affordable-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1931282706
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931282137?ie=UTF8&tag=affordable-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1931282137
http://www.aspergersyndrome.org/BookCategory.aspx?cid=2&name=Specific+to+Asperger+Syndrome

Good kids book...
http://www.amazon.com/All-Cats-Have-Asperger-Syndrome/dp/1843104814

I have found the motheringdotcommune boards helpful as there are many parents who are parenting children with Aspergers, dealing with it themselves or married to an Aspie.

Some blogs also...
http://confessionsofanaspergersmom.blogspot.com/
http://life-with-aspergers.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html
http://www.aspiewifeandmom.blogspot.com/
http://hope4autismmom.com/2012/08/30/autism-moms-words-to-live-by/
And this one is a favorite of mine... http://parentingwithaspergers.blogspot.com/p/me-my-family-and-autism.html

I can understand what you are dealing with as my ds did not get an Aspergers dx a few years ago, rather adhd, sensory processing, high intelligence, anxiety and general quirkiness. Being able to say Asperger's would clarify to others what we accept as just him. He would not get services in the school he was at nor as a homeschooler though with it so it wasn't worth pushing further at that point.