Autism / Asperger Syndrome??

Question

My son is 4 & half and is currently being tested for autism and apergers. He seems to definitely have it but the doctors just need to work out how severe it is out of the whole spectrum of it so they can get the correct diagnosis. Its not extremely severe i dont think. I was just wndering if anybody has or knows of anybody with autism/aspergers and how it affected them as a child and growing up. My son is the most loving wonderful little boy but i cant help being afraid that hes going to feel like an outsider as hes growing up and not have any friends.

Thanks x

Answer 1

I just had my daughter tested for autism two weeks ago. There are many disorders under the umbrella of "Autism." You said that your child is a loving child. If this is the case, then it doesn't sound like he has aspergers. Children with aspergers have difficulty with relationships and aren't cuddly. Many children with autism have sensory integration dysfunction. A wonderful book telling all about this is "The out of-sync-child." I am a teacher and a mother. I recommend this book to many parents. Many very bright people have autism - aspegers, as a person in one of the earlier messages stated. Autism is a neurological and behavioral disorder. It is important to get your child into a program to help your child  learn appropriate behaviors. Call your school district and see if they have any recommendations. I don't know if your child is in preschool or Kindergarten. Early intervention is important. Many children with autism also have many allergies. Which can affect their behavior. I went to a wonderful conference two weeks ago and learned so much. I would be glad to answer any questions. My email is [e-mail]

Answer 2

My brother has it. He is pretty severe. He has communication problems and social problems (he always wants to hug the delivery man, not matter who it is LOL)

He may feel like an outsider but with supports and education in the school systems about autism, peer buddy programs etc, he should not feel like an outsider.

My brother is very loving but he has many issues and I am sure if he could articulate it would say he feels like an outsider but I think we all do from time to time. They just feel it more than us.

You have to make him secure in his autism. It is a disablity that he will need supports for like a person in a wheelchair needs the chair. Nothing to be ashamed of. He just has a disability is all.

We work with my brother and he knows he has autism and that is what makes him different.

I don't know if you know but Einstein, Thomas Jefferson and Bill Gates, Dan Akroyd, Vincent D'Onofrio etc all have some form of autism spectrum disorder and look what they have become.

Especially if he is not that severe, he can understand his autism and work with it and work on it and have a wonderful life. My brother has come much further than they told us he ever would.

Don't be scared. Be determined and from determination will come help for him through you.

Good luck and I am sure he will be fine.

Answer 3

"My advice to you is this. Forget about the boxes and the labels. Ignore the judgments. Your child is fascinating. Your child is a unique and wonderful being who is incredibly special. Give him or her the tools. Encourage them on their journey. Never lose faith in them. Stand by their side. Teach them as much as you can. Watch in delight as they soar far beyond everyone's expectations. Everyone's except yours and all those who joined your belief along the way!"

Answer 4

I suggest you have the test to check if you carry the gene.....

That way, at least you'll know what you're leting yourself in for, if you decide to have any more

Answer 5

Hey....I know of two people with autism. One I worked with, the other is the son of a friend. The young man that I worked with was a rather large man, has little vocabulary, but loved by everyone. It was difficult working with him and promoting independence as he wasn't understood by others.

The son of my friend...they started working with him at 2yrs. When I knew him then he very much liked repetition, had a difficult time having a conversation, and was easily upset. He's been through 2yrs of rigorous therapy and is quite the different boy! He read to me about comets, had a conversation with me about preschool, we wrestled together, and he even tickled me on the back of my neck to get me to wrestle with him some more (before he didn't understand this whole teasing playing thing).

I think the best thing you can do is do your research. Your son can still be a very bright little boy with friends etc...you just might have to go about it a different way.

Please feel free to email me...would love to chat some more.

[e-mail]

Answer 6

He sounds like a wonderful little guy.  My 8 year old daughter has a really good friend who is Autistic.  He is in a regular class with an aide.  This little boy is the most enjoyable person to be around.  All the kids want to play with him and be his friend.   The key to him being so likeable I believe was early intervention.  Use up all the resources you can that your state offers.  Every single one.  My daughter comes home every day with another Billy story that makes her beam.  She will forever have a special place in her heart for him and you can see that the other 20 kids in the class also have a spot for him.  If your son has either disorder - do the best by him and get him as much intervention as possible.  Don't let people get you down about his disorder - just keep moving forward and be positive.

Answer 7

he will grow up without friends, since he doesn't know how. depending on how determined, he may or may not be able to interact with other people.

I never had a childhood that I enjoyed. My obsession with firearms and things that explode wasn't popular at all in Irvine. If I lived in Colorado, Texas, Riverside, or in some redneck town I might fare slightly better.

I never had real friends, i get depressed often, and have instable personality. But I'm not mentally ill. I can still buy guns, lol.

I wish I could go back and fix my childhood since I didn't get to have one.

Answer 8

I have Asperger's and I made a video about it. This video will help you out alot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbgUjmeC-...

Answer 9

My great-nephew has Asperger Syndrome and is a typical lovable child.  He is on a par with children of his own age at school and has many friends.  He has little 'rituals' which he likes to do and he does not appear to have the same level of awareness of danger as his piers, but he is otherwise fine.  My 19 year old son is at the lowest end of the spectrum though (Kanner's Autism) and has the mental age of a 12 month baby.  He does no use or understand speech, has no life skills, no concept of danger and presents with severe challenging behaviour.  I used to attend many support groups when my son was younger and many children with both Asperger and Autism lead good lives.  The spectrum is enormous and with the right level of support your son should do very well.

Answer 10

My son has aspergers, and he is awesome, amazing, and unbelieveably wonderful. He's loving, considerate and compassionate. I know adults who were respected for who they were, whose parents defended them until they were capable of doing so themselves, and they are happy, independent, working and in relationships. I know adults who were mislabeled as retarded or lazy, and they have horrible lives, losing one job after another because they can't socialize, depressed because their families don't understand or don't care. It's all about the parents...how they treat the child, how they help the child.

My son has been in therapy for five years, he was diagnosed at eight as a result of trouble in school.He sees a psychologist once a month, and I work with him the rest of the month. He has seen an OT for sensory therapy.  He doesn't have a ton of friends, but he's got about six that are awesome as well. They accept him for who he is, and they sit around and play video games and watch youtube together. They will tell him when he's being inconsiderate, and they'll tell him when they are bored. I've been really involved for a long time, and it's just been the past year or so that I've been able to step away and stop prompting him for appropriate social interactions.

Homeschooling has helped alot, because school was hard and they weren't able (or willing) to help him. Working in small groups with friends has been really great, and he's much better at conversing with people (We spent months with script flashcards, one side with the name of a community person (barber, grocery clerk, etc) and the other side five things that one would say to initiate a conversation)

You are so lucky that you can start at this age. I have a daughter who was severely autistic, and after eight years of therapy she is also doing wonderfully. She is speaking (when prompted) and so very happy. She's ten, and can make her own meals, does her own chores, and after pulling her from school, is caught up academically.

These kids are such blessings. They are intense, it's a lot more work than anyone ever expects to do as a parent, but it's not that different than parenting any other child. You just have to be more.....involved, for a while. God bless and good luck!

Answer 11

I know a guy who has Asperger syndrome (he was my best friend) and he was on high honor roll and had a grade average of 4.0 which is all A's and autistic kids are very smart but have physical problems (such as asperger syndrome causes random leg and feet spasms) but they have pills now so no problem so don't stress its fine if he has it just thank God it wasn't more severe autism or some kind of brain damage or wasn't born without a leg, there are some things WAY more severe than autism

Answer 12

I have Asperger's Syndrome and was made fun of for a while in a public elementary school, however some people were nice to me. Then, I went to a Christian middle school which had small class sizes and I had  friends. Now, I am in a public high school and have a few friends. However, now romance is hard for me.

Answer 13

Hi - best of luck with your testing and diagnosis.

In addition to my awesome daughter, who has Asperger Syndrome, I know people who would probably have met the criteria when they were younger, and who have done okay. I think there are a lot of different experiences as far as friendships go, and by starting early to help your son, you can give him the best shot possible for the future.

It's definitely harder to relate for these kids, but it's not impossible, especially if they find kindred spirits through school or activities. My daughter, who I'd say is moderately affected, doesn't have close friends, but she is liked by other kids and has girls to sit with at lunch and dance with at school dances.

I sympathize with the other poster who said "He won't have friends," but I think that person wasn't diagnosed until later, and had the misfortune to not find others who shared his strong interests. I think it's a lot harder to be diagnosed later and not get interventions that can help. If your son has yet to start school, you can make sure that they give him social and language help so that he has the tools for friendship and interaction. That will help a lot as he goes through life.

I've also heard that friendship can be easier for AS boys than girls, because they often can bond around acceptable "boy" interests, whereas girls' friendships rely so much more on social connectedness. So while you have an understandable concern, there are a lot of reasons for hope.

Best to you both.