Which diagnosis do I take? Asperger's or PPD-NOS?

Julie - posted on 04/25/2011

Plenty of aspies feel empathy towards others. My daughter has aspergers and can be very empathetic - once she understands why someone feels a particular emotion, she really cares. When we escaped her abusive father, I was amazed at how empathetic she was - in many ways beyond what a "normal" child would have felt.

BUT the big catch is she has to understand why a person feels the way they do. IF she understands, she is empathetic, but there are many things she just totally misses because of her autistic qualities.

From what I've heard, it's quite common for girls with aspergers to not lack empathy - part of the reason why more boys are diagnosed with ASD ie because a lot of therapists miss it in girls because girls with ASD are more likely to be able feel empathy and therefore get incorrectly diagnosed as not having ASD.

I know quite a number of people, male and female of varying ages who have aspergers and have empathy. In many, it has been a trait they have to learn, but many do have empathy.

Often it's not a perfect test - I'm still trying to make my daughter understand why biting my sister was wrong and that it hurt her (my 24yo sister said "bite me" sarcastically, which my 9yo daughter took literally).

Then again, I do feel kind of sorry for my daughter- I did laugh at the fact that my sister (who had a boyfried with aspergers for years and who should remember that someone with aspergers is going to take her literally) didn't stop to think that saying to a 9yo with aspergers "bite me" would end in my daughter actually biting her. And it's a little hard to explain to my daughter why it's hurtful to bite someone when I'm trying not to giggle...but anyway.... lol I'm not perfect and it was kinda funny.

But yes, many kids with aspergers can be very empathetic - especially those who have been guided well by family, friends and carers.

Teresa - posted on 04/25/2011

Autism, Asperger's syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified will make up the new "autism and related disorders" category.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiatry/G...

Teresa - posted on 04/25/2011

yes! get it into the IEP - extra time, warnings, even allowing him to take a break during a test, or sit in a different room - that's all in the IEP realm. Also - go with the Asperger's diagnosis. Speaking from experience, this one gets more respect from teachers, in particular. and it's true, no two aspie kids are alike. "If you have met one person with autism, then great!, you have met one person with autism."

Sheri - posted on 04/24/2011

I would be concerned that he may not qualify for an IEP with Asperger's. Some that I know with Asperger's only qualify for a 504 plan which doesn't include modifications.

Renee - posted on 04/24/2011

Honestly, I would research everything you can find-there are so many books and online sources. The more you learn, the more you will discover your own answers. As for the IEP, anything can go into the IEP that will help the student in the academic setting. My 15yo has always had things like extra time and a scribe, etc -even in his 504 plan before we had an IEP implemented. At your child's age, it's up to you to become as knowledgeable as possible. then you will know to discuss with teachers and school staff.

Kris - posted on 04/22/2011

I agree with Theresa. You are your child's best advocate. The more involved & proactive you are the better. Working as a team with the docs & teachers is best. One thing you may want to consider is that with the new DSM-V, Asperger's is no longer included as a diagnosis. So for the sake of services/therapies, you might want to stick with the PDD-NOS which is covered under the ASD umbrella for diagnosis.

Melissa - posted on 04/22/2011

If you look at the criteria for AS you will see that there are two main categories (basically the two of autism that don't deal with speech) and several sub-categories. Emotional reciprocity is only one of the four subcategories under the social interaction heading. He needs to have 2 out of the 4 criteria. So if he is exhibiting a lack of eye contact and cannot seem to make friends like other children his age, he still qualifies. I would follow your pediatrician in this instance.

Theresa - posted on 04/22/2011

Many of the Autism spectrum things are so much alike that it's very hard to tell one from the other. You will have to have the actual diagnosis put into the school records. Just add the new things that you want into his IEP. We were told our son could go either way as well because he was so close to both things, but the official diagnosis the doc gave us was PDD-NOS because there were a couple things that though he leaned toward the Asperger's diagnosis, wasn't quite as rigid as in a typical Aspie. He's still in the ASD catagory which special ed teachers realize that those children can dispaly a wide range of ASD behaviors. They should take into account you child's specific behaviors more than which actual term is used anyway. Just make sure you stay on top of how things are going at school and call meetings with teachers whenever you feel that things need to be addressed. I found teachers work better with parents who are very involved and know what is going on at school. He could also benefit from being able to go to another room during testing so that he doesn't have the distractions. My son (6th grade this year) has a huge problem with testing in the classroom. When someone does anything to make noise (tapping a pencil, turning a page, anything) it throws him completely out of concentration, then he has to refind where he was and start all over from the spot. He leaves the room and goes to the spec ed room for all testing. When getting these things into the IEP it's better to be over cautious, then not cautious enough. For instance ask that he gets a 10 minute, then a 5 minute, then a 2 minute warning before time runs out. If they decide he only needs the 10 and 5, or 5 and 2 it's easier to change it that way then to add more warnings. Does that make sense? It's easier for the school to reduce the things in the IEP if needed than to add things. Good luck.