Nurse mentioned Ausbergers, where to now?

Hi all,

Today i took my 5 yr old DS for his health check and immunisations, a littl elate i know.
Anyway why i was there we were discussing DS. Now i have also had talks with DS's Kindy teachers etc and they have been undecieded about him.

A little history about him.

At 7 months we took him to get checked as when we tried to touch his hands he would throw his arms right back, we were told he had tactile sensitivity. We worked with child care etc and took him swimming to get used to different textures etc, at the time there was concern he may not want to walk as he didnt like things touching his feet either. However he walked fine. He still hates socks and shoes and will take them of and on until he is happy with the way they feel on his feet.

His speech is great he has a slight lisp but will have a great conversation with you, he gets frustrated if you dont understand what he is talking about.

He has always had an almost obsessive compulsive behaviour with his toys, cars used to have to be in lines and trains in the right order, he is still very precise about these things and will become upset with his peers if they dont understand his way of thinking.

Both his kindy teachers dance teachers etc have said that he is quite advanced and needs to be challenged he becomes bored with tasks aimed at children his age. He excels in numbers.
He is fine in small groups and tends to make friends easily but can some times become overwelmed if people crowd him etc.

The nurse today suggested that he may be at the lower end of the scale for Ausbergers, what d you think, and where do i go from here, do i need to get a referall from my GP etc to get this checked. Am i concerned about nothing. I just want to be armed so we can give him what he will need as he grows up.

Hi Tan,

Having a child labelled must be a very difficult and scary thing to deal with. Although I don't have a child with asbergers, both my DH and I have taught such beautiful children.
I suggest you get your GP to give you a referral for a Paedetrician. The public system can be very slow. I taught a little girl in kindergarten & I had an idea that she was somewhere on the autism spectrum. It took eight very long months for a diagnosis. The earlier the intervention, the better the children are at coping socially.
I have also read a great thread on Autism and asbergers somewhere on one of the forums here (sorry, not sure where).
There are lots of people here, going through a similar situation who I'm sure could answer your questions.

Take Care

Tan this must be confronting - you have my deep understanding.

The correct name is Aspergers syndrome or ASD - autistic spectrum disorder. As this title suggest this is a spectrum disorder. So if you think of a line with different characteristics all being "normal" but a little to the left or to the right and some characteristics in clusters can suggest a child is on this spectrum.

I have a child with ASD. She was diagnosed when she was 12yo. The spectrum is vast - and ONLY a psychologist/paediatrician can accurately diagnose. It's right that the CHN has suggested further assessment - but that is the next step.

Some people fear the label - and I do understand this very well. However, it has been my experience that the diagnosis helped me to understand behaviours that were "ununderstandable". It was a relief. I battled through for years - the behaviours got worse, my child has a very destructive/aggressive nature. She finds relationships difficult and people are just commodities - she just doesn't understand how she affects others. Psychological support has been invaluable.

I urge you to seek out a professional opinion. Some of what you describe sounds "Aspy" but remember that we are all on the spectrum. Do what you thinkis best for you boy. Good luck my love - have courage - and know that this can be worked with and you will find what is right for your situation... :hug:

Hi Tan 32- can't chat right now but my son has just been diagnooises with aspergers. Come and join us here lots of us are going through similar things.

Hope to talk to you soon