My 8 year old son has asperger's autism. it's getting out of control.

Question

any advice would be much appreciated. is there a certain medication to help with his mood changes? it's like a light switch. thank you

Answer 1

You need to evaluate the services he is currently receiving

are they experienced in autism specifically--there are techniques that are very helpful with kids with ASD--including ABA, Greenspan...personally I think ABA has limited use with aspergers...

what about OT--it may be a sensory processing problem.....

it may be anxiety dealing with social situations--have you looked into social skills training-

an ABA therapist (BCBA) is skilled in determining the cause of the behavior---this is the most important step--

you can't treat a burn injury-if the person is still on fire...

Answer 2

I have A.S, and don't worry i'm like that too with my moods, but when your are 8 its hard to control it, i was like that, but when he's in his teens he'll learn, i've learnt how deal with myself now at 14, i don't think you should drug him up at this age, he will get more annoyed, but talk to your GP he/she might help.

Answer 3

Aw hun, your son needs a routine, a strict routine, if he doesn't have one already. He might have other co-morbid tendencies, such as add or adhd. You could go to your Doctor & explain your son's behaviour & mood swings to him/her.

Good Luck.X :-)

Answer 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbgUjmeC-...

Answer 5

There is no one certain medication, but there are various medications that frequently help. You must first find a pediatric psychiatrist to follow him, hopefully one who specializes in Autism spectrum disorders. It's also really really helpful for YOUR mental health to join a support group, either online or in person.  

Answer 6

Here is what I will suggest based on what has worked for me and my son and for many families I have met.

Look into RDI (Relationship Development Intervention) therapy. This is an autism remediation therapy that teaches the parents to help their kids. I have seen so many amazing developments in my son since we began in January.

Go take a look at their website rdiconnect.com

Do you have a pediatric psychiatrist? This is someone who could really help answer many of your questions and let you know if maybe your son has a co-occurring mood disorder that may be making it even more difficult for him to regulate his moods. I would strongly suggest getting an appointment. A regular pediatrician is not enough.

Take a look at the autism/asperger's groups that yahoo has. I have found a lot of great advice from many of them.

Hope this helps!

Answer 7

You MUST read this book!!!! "Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew"-by: Ellen Notbohm http://www.amazon.com/Things-Every-Child...

The best thing you can do is educate yourself and try to place yourself in his shoes! Understand his disorder, realize that it is a spectrum disorder and every child is different...and, most importantly, try to understand what he is going through, his experience is much more painful and difficult than it is for you! Recognize that his sensory perceptions are disordered, hyer or hypo sensitized to cause unpleasant physical reactions leading to sensory overload, so he experiences his environment much differently than you do.  

Mood changes occur because of a sensory overload caused by his environment.  Try to read his body language and expressions to detect changes before he pops.  Look for subtle changes in the environment that may have set him off.  This could be bright lights, household appliances, smells, etc. (things we can filter out can be intensely multiplied for him).  When tantrums, aggression, or melt-downs occur, try to figure out why they occur.  Record the time of day, what was happening around him, and other details to try to find a pattern to find out what things set him off.  Create a sensory diet or sensory map (google it) to prevent them from occuring again after finding the source.

Answer 8

You should speak to your child's doctor; ask for a referral to a mental health professional who specializes in Autism.  There are lots of good doctors out there with a background in autism/Aspberger; you need someone how can help to understand why your son has these changes in mood.  The treatment (whether behavioral or medication) will depend on many factors, including attention, education, communication issues, whether or not he is anxious or depressed, etc, etc.

Good luck!

Answer 9

Please go to autismspeaks.com to find information to help you and connect you with others.

They have a new item for newly diagnosed that is online and has a wealth of information for both the new diagnosis and those who have been working with it in their families for a long time.

http://www.autismspeaks.org/community/fa...

That said there is a quick phrase that might help you think about how you approach a student with escalating behaviors.  As parents we have a tendancy to talk more to explain - students on the spectrum have less capacity typically for the spoken word (yes even if they are very smart)  So think 'Low and Slow'.  Lower the number of words, the volume of your voice, use smaller words, lower the register or tone of your voice.  Slow means - speak slower, significant pause in your speaking after each segment or sentance (this allows processing time)

Please have your school help you with determining what might be the anticedents (what comes before) or collect data yourself - is there a time of day, does it follow an activity?  You might need to look WAY before the explosion.  So think about it this way.

What happened just before he exploded.

What happened before that and before that etc.  You may well find that there is a warning or behavioral cue hours before the explosion.

There is a document that has a checklist to help you think along those lines It's called the Social Learning Profile.

http://www.int287.k12.mn.us/clientupload...

Answer 10

I agree with McAwesom. The book that she recommended is great.  Also that there seem to be a sensory overlode going on. The book will help you understand whats going on. I would also look into weighted blanket. The weight seems to calms people with autism down during a melt down. Also it is a great place for them to hide and center themselves.

Answer 11

don't you think it's time to find him a good doctor who understands this condition?