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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Colleen D. on May 27, 2005, at 8:36:30
And THANKS to everyone who contributed to that very informative previous thread!!!
My 5 yo son is being eveluated for it right now. He will be 6 in August and is being "mainstreamed" into kindergarten this fall. He was born with a (x4) chromosome translocation and parenting him has been anything but normal. He a sweet, sensitive boy who is legally blind and his teachers tell me he is very intelligent for his age. Tonight I did a search on Asperger's and when I read the criteria for diagnosis, I could see that *I* meet most of the criteria. Is this condition treatable with drugs and therapy? I can't believe that my anxiety since childhood and the resulting depression I've had may be due to my having this condition and I hmay have passed it on to him. He is definitely the most like me of my three children. I have only seen two pdocs in my life and I'm wondering if I should speak with my GP about my suspicions and get another referral. Does anyone else here suspect they have Asperger's?
Colleen
MDD, OCD, GAD and SP
Posted by Amywife on May 27, 2005, at 8:36:31
In reply to I have to bring up Asperger's again!!!, posted by Colleen D. on May 23, 2005, at 19:27:44
I work in the schools and often test for Asperger's. Although it is sometimes helped by medications, other treatment is also very helpful. With children, social stories are often created so that children learn how to act in social situations as the social deficits are usually the most debilitating part of Asperger's. Saying that, most people with Asperger's grow up to be productive members of society. Regardless if you meet the "full criteria" or not, whatever symptoms you have need to be addressed so you can have a more fulfilling life.
Posted by Minnie-Haha on May 27, 2005, at 8:36:31
In reply to I have to bring up Asperger's again!!!, posted by Colleen D. on May 23, 2005, at 19:27:44
> My 5 yo son is being eveluated for it right now. He will be 6 in August and is being "mainstreamed" into kindergarten this fall. He was born with a (x4) chromosome translocation and parenting him has been anything but normal. He a sweet, sensitive boy who is legally blind and his teachers tell me he is very intelligent for his age. Tonight I did a search on Asperger's and when I read the criteria for diagnosis, I could see that *I* meet most of the criteria. Is this condition treatable with drugs and therapy? I can't believe that my anxiety since childhood and the resulting depression I've had may be due to my having this condition and I hmay have passed it on to him. He is definitely the most like me of my three children. I have only seen two pdocs in my life and I'm wondering if I should speak with my GP about my suspicions and get another referral. Does anyone else here suspect they have Asperger's?
I used to and I still do sometimes, but I'm trying to let it go. I do see a lot of myself in my son. But the older I get, and the more I experience, and the more my body and body chemistry changes, it's just really hard to sort out what is what. That I have problems is obvious to me. What the root is is less so. So I'm trying to focus on therapies that work to make me feel and function better and not obsess about my DX (which I was doing, for myself and my son, and making myself sick). Only time will tell if I can keep my resolve.
You said something that really caught my eye. Your teacher says your son is very intelligent. Has he had an intelligence test? The reason I ask is because a lot of gifted kids get DXd as having disorders. The higher their IQ (the more std deviations above normal) the more likely they are to seem disordered. (It's like the more deviations below normal, the more they seem disordered.) Now that's not to say that a kid can't be gifted AND disordered, but... A DX for a disorder is much harder to pin down than an IQ. (For years with me it was: Is this BP2 or GAD or OCD or something else or some combination of these things? And with my son it was: Is this Asperger's, HFA, ADHD, Tourette's... Aagghh! And that made me start wondering about my own DX all over again. I made myself sick, I tells ya.)
Just because your son is blind doesn't mean his IQ can't be tested. You just need to find the right professional to do it... who uses the right assessment tools.
For me, it's been much easier to see my son as a gifted, with some problems that need to be addressed, than a disordered son who's also really smart. Others may disagree, but that's what's worked for me. And gifted kids, even if they're not disordered, have special needs. They especially need a school environment that is appropriate academically and socially for gifted kids. (A lot of people think if a kid is gifted they can just take care of themselves. I mean, they're "gifted," right?) It's also been a salve for the soul for me to think "Maybe I'm gifted and that wasn't properly addressed when I was a kid." It may not be true, but it's a different option than "I'm just messed up.")
Check out some of the links I posted in that last Asperger's thread.
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050516/msgs/500431.html
Good luck with yourself and your son.
Minnie
Posted by Daisym on May 27, 2005, at 19:40:41
In reply to Re: I have to bring up Asperger's again!!!, posted by Minnie-Haha on May 25, 2005, at 14:33:28
I work in early intervention with 0-5 year olds. One of the things we know about kids with Asperger's is that often they have trained the whole family with response technics so as not to "set them off." You may have had a sibling or a parent who responded to some of your issues and that is why you think you fit the criteria. Or, it may be your son already creating this in you. Not that this is good or bad, it is just another coping mechanism.
I think it is great that you are main-streaming him! I hope he has a teacher skilled with whole learning techniques and active learning centers. Blind Babies of America has an incredible program, at least here in California.
I think all kids need help navigating social situations at different points during their lives. Some more than others. It sounds like you are working really hard and doing a great job with your son. I agree that really, the DX isn't that important as long as he is getting the supports he needs.
This is the end of the thread.
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