child just diagnosed with aspergers

Michele - posted on 04/27/2011

I have a 13 year old son that is diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder. We think there's more going on with him. I am thinking Aspergers. This just came up when he became a teen too. There is help out there. I'm hoping to get him diagnosed soon because in five years he's going to be going out in the work force/college and I want people to understand who and what they're dealing with when it comes to my son. I also have a son with Autism/pdd And ADHD comes along with his diagnoses. Take it one day at a time. Dealing with Autism is hard and there is a grieving period that parents go through when they are told their child is on the Autism Spectrum. I greived too. My prayers are with you..

Felicity - posted on 04/27/2011

Dont panic, the two very often seem to go hand in hand, my Grandson has both, he was diagnosed very early on to having ADHD, but after a long hard battle we got him diagnosed with Asperges as well. He also has Body Tourettes, Dyslexia, Trauma, Stress, Dyspraxia, but if I am honest he is still a lovely 16 year old boy, if you can see the positive qualities that he has then you are already on to a winning streak, we managed to find a suitable schol which has helped him no end, One thing you have to remember there is no grey for an Asperges sufferer, everything is as you say it, black and white, no inbetween, this was harder for us to accept. Just to remember dont give to many instructions at one time and keep it simple. Hope this helps.

Tammi - posted on 04/26/2011

Love him just the way he is. My biggest mistake was worrying too much about "curing" him -- I wasted a lot of time not knowing him which is really the key to helping him.

Meredith - posted on 04/26/2011

He's still the same kid you've always known and loved. Now you have another lens to see him through.

Melissa - posted on 04/22/2011

Some children with Aspergers are mild, quiet, and bookish. There is a lot going on with them, but they tend to internalize it. Others are very physically active and appear to be similar to kids with ADHD. Unless your child's doctor was aware of the red flags your son was exhibiting for AS, as well as being familiar with the disorder in the first place (relatively soon after it was introduced into the DSM), it's unlikely that the topic would have even come up. Besides, back then, there were a rash of ADHD diagnoses. Now the same thing is happening with AS.

If you would like, I can refer you to some materials (books and such) that you might find helpful. Also, feel free to message me any time. I have two kids on the autism spectrum and I have spent a lot of time researching ASDs in general over the past several years.

Take a deep breath! Everything is going to be fine!