Autism or Asperger Syndrome Question - Need help for son.?

Question

I really need help for my 16 yr old son.

He is smart and does well on tests, but cant stay focused enough to turn in any assignments. He has ultimatly failed almost every class since kindergarden, but the schools still pass him along.

His teachers in Elementary school told me he spends a lot of time fiddling with things and not paying attention in class. I've tried helping him with his schoolwork but it usually took hours just to get him to write one paragraph, and we spent most of our time yelling, crying, and arguing just to get something on paper. He sincerely cannot put his pencil to paper without a lot of effort. He also tends to "tune-out" in class during lectures, and does this "hand-flapping" that makes a noise he really enjoys doing and has become a bad habit.

When he speaks, he tells always tells too many details.

He is considered well mannered and likeable, and has friends. No legal problems.

Is this a form of Autism or Asperger syndrome?

Answer 1

Has your son been tested for any types of learning disorders.  I recognize some characteristics of Asperger, but I am also thinking of other problems.  Please let your school know that you want your son tested for consideration of Special Needs services.  I would be happy to talk to you about other aspects of what you could be looking at.

Answer 2

What I am concerned about is the difficulty just to get him to write one paragraph...and what you said: "he does this hand-flapping that makes a noise he really enjoys doing".

Children with autism stim because they really enjoy doing it. Stimming may consists of many characteristics such as:  hand flapping, hand flicking, twirling themselves in circles, playing with running water, watching ceiling fans go 'round and 'round, staring into space, rocking themselves back and forth, among many other socially non-acceptable forms of behaviors. This is not considered to be normal, and I would consult with a neurologist immediately through your local university using your private insurance.

It may be that your son has Aspergers, which is a milder form of autism since kids with Aspergers are precocious with language, "language is easy for them". But, they have no clue when they are verbally overbearing or if the topic they are interested in is the of any interest to the listener.

Beware, the school district may have passed him each year so it would not cost them a dime. Thus saving the school district thousands of dollars on a yearly basis. Regardless of diagnosis...sounds like your son needs special education.  Please have your son seen by an expert neurologist who has lots of experience with autism ...who may confirm or squash your suspicions,  this is your starting point.

Good luck to you! Your child sounds like he may need some help regardless of diagnosis. However, you may have a fight ahead of you. It is important that you act fast. Your son has lost many years of a specialized education to fit his unique and individual needs.

Sonia

Parent of two little kids with autism

Find something I have included for you to review regarding Aspergers...

However, do consider researching autism spectrum disorders as a whole and draw your conclusion based on your motherly experience...

http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/aswh...

Individuals with AS (aspergers syndrome) can exhibit a variety of characteristics and the disorder can range from mild to severe. Persons with AS show marked deficiencies in social skills, have difficulties with transitions or changes and prefer sameness. They often have obsessive routines and may be preoccupied with a particular subject of interest. They have a great deal of difficulty reading nonverbal cues (body language) and very often the individual with AS has difficulty determining proper body space. Often overly sensitive to sounds, tastes, smells, and sights, the person with AS may prefer soft clothing, certain foods, and be bothered by sounds or lights no one else seems to hear or see. It's important to remember that the person with AS perceives the world very differently. Therefore, many behaviors that seem odd or unusual are due to those neurological differences and not the result of intentional rudeness or bad behavior, and most certainly not the result of "improper parenting".

By definition, those with AS have a normal IQ and many individuals (although not all), exhibit exceptional skill or talent in a specific area. Because of their high degree of functionality and their naiveté, those with AS are often viewed as eccentric or odd and can easily become victims of teasing and bullying. While language development seems, on the surface, normal, individuals with AS often have deficits in pragmatics and prosody. Vocabularies may be extraordinarily rich and some children sound like "little professors." However, persons with AS can be extremely literal and have difficulty using language in a social context.

At this time there is a great deal of debate as to exactly where AS fits. It is presently described as an autism spectrum disorder and Uta Frith, in her book AUTISM AND ASPERGER'S SYNDROME, described AS individuals as "having a dash of Autism". Some professionals feel that AS is the same as High Functioning Autism, while others feel that it is better described as a Nonverbal Learning Disability. AS shares many of the characteristics of PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder; Not otherwise specified), HFA, and NLD and because it was virtually unknown until a few years ago, many individuals either received an incorrect diagnosis or remained undiagnosed. For example, it is not at all uncommon for a child who was initially diagnosed with ADD or ADHD be re-diagnosed with AS. In addition, some individuals who were originally diagnosed with HFA or PDD-NOS are now being given the AS diagnosis and many individuals have a dual diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism.

Answer 3

Why isn't the school helping him with an IEP plan (special ed?) this is the ONLY legal way schools are suppose to help kids with these type of problems.

Answer 4

Talk to your school psychologist.  She'll have assessments/evaluations that will indicate the likelihood of Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Unfortunately, you may need to be a bit demanding, but don't waiver.  You, the parent is in the driver's seat.  Good luck!

Answer 5

i would go to the doctor and have tests done i had to do this with my son they "said" he has adhd but i refused to give him medication and worked with him alot more and now he is doing so much better homework still takes atleast an hour but he does it and does it correctly i myself believe he just didnt take school serious, also the hand flapping is a sign of autism the dr. told me when he was asking questions about my sons daily behavior

Answer 6

You really need a doctor to explain to you what those disorders are and to determine whether he has a form of autism.  

The symptoms of the disorders are varied and not uniform from person to person.  One of the tell-tale signs of autism is inability to communicate well with other people.  From your question it doesn't sound like he has trouble communicating, just trouble with schoolwork.  

Maybe he finds it extremely boring, maybe he has an undiagnosed hearing problem, maybe he never learned to read properly... there are any number of other causes that could make him tune out in class.  This would make it hard for him to do homework.

Hand-Flapping can be a sign of autism (it's called stimming, or self-stimulating behavior), but autism is not necessarily defined by hand flapping.  My husband had a habit of knocking his ring on his knee repetitively, all the time, but he wasn't autistic.  He was diagnosed adhd but refused to take medecine for it and turned out just fine.

Your best bet is to take him to a doctor if you are concerned, but to me it doesn't sound like Autism simply because it doesnt sound like he has communication problems.  Many autistic children are bully targets because of their inability to communicate and don't usually have friends for the same reason.

Good luck.

Answer 7

It definitely sounds like your son has some real "needs", but nothing in your note makes me think it is a spectrum disorder. The largest qualitative difference you see for children on the spectrum would be difficulty with social interactions and reciprocal conversation, perspective taking as well as a difficulty with reading comprehension and more abstract concepts (understanding not production). It sounds to me more similar to an issues with attention perhaps ADHD or ADD, maybe OCD with the difficulty starting and "fiddling" I have known kids who can't get started cause things are set up just right or something like that. I would still request a formal assessment from both the school district and the doctor so that your child can get the help he obviously needs.

Answer 8

Its not really enough information to say, but what you did write does sound very aspie-like.  It could be other things though.

Next time, have him email you that paragraph rather than handwriting it.  Aspies tend to do far better on the computer than  when writing by hand.

Look for a family history of autism especially on the father's side.  Autism is hereditary.