What are the signs of Autism/Asperger's?

Jeannette - posted on 09/17/2011

my son is twelve almost thirteen and he was around 4-5 when signs were significant. he was socially non interactive other than with his sister and cousins. they were tolerant of his odd behaviors and his inability to comprehend certain things. loud noises and raised voices, even in playing outside startle and upset him. one of the biggest thing's for him in school was peer interaction on an appropriate level. routine was particular and any disruption would cause breakdowns and outbursts. we had to speak slowly to him and he has to totally concentrate on comprehension and giving a response. very close to me and his sister, is very emphathetic, but lacks the social q's to maintain steady friendships. becomes obsessed with different thing's for a while and then switchs to a new interest, and has to know everything about that interest. the schools have been very good and i believe that's been a huge key in his strengths and growth. i opt for help with meds and he is in ese. even though he's a straight a/b student, nothing lower ever, he can not cope in the mainstream of schools'. he is now in middle school and due to not being able to do regular sports we have him in special olympic activities, bowling, track and field and that definitely builds his self esteem without the pressures of his age peers bullying or teasing. i wish you well. my son has been a blessing and is so much fun watching grow and learn and i have grown and learned as well as the other children member's of our family. our nieces and nephew have such emphathy and protection for him. good luck and think positive, tap into all the resources out there, and i believe the right schools are key. our elementary school was one of the many in public ed that works with children with disabilities, physical and autism and so forth. and his middle school is the recieving school from this elementary for children like my son. the schools do a lot of education but also in socialization skills, self monitoring, appropriate interaction, and he's with other children who are intelligent but unfortunately different then the mainstream. good luck

Freida - posted on 09/16/2011

Thank you both...Those are both helpful!

Hayley - posted on 09/16/2011

Its a tough one as its different for every child, when melissa was diagnosed they (i think) look at 5 different areas sensory was one, think understanding and communication, interaction, sorry i can't remember them all, my daughters problems are speech and understanding (she talks like a robot, has to really think about her speech, and you have to talk very slow to her with simple language) sensory she freaks out if you touch her hair or brush past her, starts biting and scratching her skin pulling her hair out, she would rather play by herself and is more happy when she alone. My son is going through the process he has language problems, and possible problems with understanding, but he is very affectionate loves being around people, doesnt like lound sounds, gets very distructive when he gets excitied or angry, i unsure about what they will say for him, i think im just more paniced due to melissa having autism, who knows. Hope you get the answers you need

Brett - posted on 09/16/2011

I would visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_sy...

Here is some of what got me interested in this because of my son who is now 11.
Asperger syndrome or Asperger's syndrome or Asperger disorder ( /ˈɑːspərɡərz/[1] or /ˈæspərɡərz/[2]) is an autism spectrum disorder that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and atypical use of language are frequently reported.[3][4]

Asperger syndrome is named after the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger who, in 1944, studied and described children in his practice who lacked nonverbal communication skills, demonstrated limited empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy.

I hope this helps, it is not the end of the world, just a different path to be taken.