Help! 8 yr old girl with AS symptoms?

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CassandraD
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31 May 2011, 2:53 pm

I just got her psych eval back...FSIQ 139.



draelynn
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31 May 2011, 2:56 pm

:D Awesome!



cutiecrystalmom
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31 May 2011, 4:13 pm

CassandraD wrote:
Yep...if you thinks that is bad, they actually write all of this stuff down and send it to me as part of their documentation....


Please tell me they send this privately so your daughter cannot read it! My son's grade 2 teacher would write up his infractions in his daily planner, then when I asked for more specific info, she started sending open notes on colored paper, cause you know, THAT doesn't stand out, does it? Finally she started folding them over and giving them a staple shut. Don't let them do this to your daughter. And, I guess you can look on the bright side with all their "documentation", it can be used to illustrate how completely and utterly they did not understand your daughter this year. Use it as a way to advocate for your daughter, like "these strategies that were tried did not work, as evidenced by the ongoing documentation provided by the teacher, please try [this] instead..."

good luck!



CassandraD
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31 May 2011, 6:13 pm

They actual do sed her behavior chart so she can read it. I got the documentation because they mailed it to her neurologist without a release form.



Chronos
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01 Jun 2011, 2:08 am

You didn't really mention anything that would indicate AS or refute it. You should ask the neurologist why he thinks she has AS. Perhaps the neurologist recognizes certain traints.

To answer your question, a person with AS can be extroverted. AS doesn't really have anything to do with being introverted or extroverted.

Introverted people with AS are quite and minimize their presence in social situations. They usually don't share their interests with others.

Extroverted people with AS tend to be loud, can be obnoxious, and generally are good at making fools of themselves because they are socially inept.

Both can still meet the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria.



liloleme
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01 Jun 2011, 4:00 am

When I was a child I was one of those loud obnoxious types that Chronos mentioned. My Mother tells me that when ever we moved (we moved over 25 times when I was a child) I would go knocking on peoples doors and asking if they had children to play with. However there were a lot of things I did that was inappropriate like opening peoples refrigerators and taking food or walking in the house without knocking or ringing the bell....my mother tried to teach me manners but I just didnt get it. People would say things like "make yourself at home" and I would take that literally. I was also very blunt and would hurt my friends feelings. None of these things were explained to me because no one knew I had Autism so I was just punished or my friends would not play with me. I got to the point where I started playing on my own because even though I wanted to have friends and from the outside it looked like I was a social child, the anger, bullying and teasing drove me into myself. I now only want people around me that really know me and understand me. I am afraid of other people because I dont understand them. I have learned a lot, the hard way, and since my diagnosis a few years ago but I am very happy being a hermit. Out in the world I have a lot of stress and anxiety attacks. People kept asking my parents if it was hard for me to leave the US and move to France....it was not and Im happy to be isolated with my husband and my two younger kids (I have three adult kids in the US). Anyway the moral of my story :lol: is that maybe your daughter might appear to be social and yes she is smart (I was too...I found during my eval that I have an above average IQ) but she may not understand how other people work and this can cause a lot of problems later on. Its better to find out now and then she can get the proper assistance and be able to use that big IQ and artistic talent of hers for great things :).



CassandraD
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01 Jun 2011, 4:07 am

Her neurologist actually wanted me to kinda read up on things and see what I think. I'll give you a few examples. As a small child, she never liked toys that made noise and could not stand the sound of balloons popping. She never really played "with" other children (in the same room--yes, but with---no). She started reading at the age of 3, she also learned to get online that same year. I can remember when she was two, she would put toys in patterns such as blue, blue, pink, blue, blue pink... She tantrums. The tantrums have became fewer and fewer since she has been on Vyvanse for ADHD, but she still has them and it seems to me that they generally happen when she is frustrated, but does not know how to express it. She is in second grade and this is the first year she has a recipricated friendship. In preschool and Kindergarten she NEVER talked about her classmates by name even though in kindergarten she knew their names, and could read and spell them. She could not (until recently) stand the feel of socks or undies.

Thanks for getting me back on topic...I'm very bad about that.



liloleme
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02 Jun 2011, 4:43 am

I HATE balloons.....she obviously has sensory issues and it sounds like social issues as well.



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02 Jun 2011, 11:17 pm

CassandraD wrote:
Okay, my daughter is 8 years old and was recently (January) diagnosed with ADHD. Now that we are getting some of the impulsiveness under control, we are finding a lot of other (Hmmm...) "symptoms" that we just never really put together before. Her neurologist thinks that she may have Asperger's Syndrome and I am FULL of questions. My daughter does not fit a lot of the "sterotypical" characteristics---I am learning that these are just that----stereotypes. Can anyone help me understand? I am back and forth on this. She is such an amazing child. VERY talented and VERY smart! She almost seems like she is an extrovert personality rather than an introvert...is that possible with AS?

She does have some obsessive interests, but they were always easy to overlook...very 'typical' such as my little ponies, littlest pet shops, spongebob...but now it is an anime cat named splash, and, well, cats in general. She is a very talented artist for her age...I have seen crowds gather to watch her draw. She was having a lot of tantrums at school this year. One of the biggest things she complains about is "__________ is staring at me" whether they are or not and :it's not fair". She loves to make jokes...generally word play. She doesn't really have a lot of sensory issues...never liked toys that make noise though (or balloons popping). She is okay with schedule changes, but sometimes does not transition well. I need some comparisons. HELP!


Some symptoms of ADHD can seem similar to AS, while not actually being autistic in nature. Some people with AS are extroverts, yes, although it is not extremely common. Oftentimes special interests (even non-stereotypical ones) of AS cannot be overlooked because they are so all-encompassing. For example, I could spend hours upon hours on my interests, and only want to speak about that particular thing. I had many special interests, but it was usually only one or two at a time. Did you know that many people with ADHD are also able to hyperfocus on things that interest them? You can do a quick google search as there are articles which explain the differences of AS and ADHD obsessions. I don't know.....your description of her doesn't seem to be AS to me.

I have one nephew with AS, and one niece with ADHD. Your daughter definitely seems to have more in common with my niece than with my nephew....



CassandraD
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03 Jun 2011, 5:01 am

Thank you



liloleme
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03 Jun 2011, 7:16 am

Personally, I think too many kids are misdiagnosed with ADHD. It is a more social acceptable label. Your first post made me think that maybe your daughter did not have Asperger's but when you add in some of the other things she sounds more Aspie to me. I have also heard that they have pasted some Autistic like symptoms into the ADHD diagnosis, even my psychiatrist who dx me told me about these new additions. In my opinion this is mainly due to the fact that an Autism diagnosis carries a much higher bill for education than an ADHD dx does.
Sorry, but I have a niece who obviously has Asperger's but is diagnosed with ADHD and her parents like this because it is more acceptable. Autism is a scary word to most people especially to the public school system ($$$$$$$$$).....just my two cents :wink: .



CassandraD
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03 Jun 2011, 8:11 am

Thank you...you see my dilema.



draelynn
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03 Jun 2011, 9:50 am

liloleme wrote:
Personally, I think too many kids are misdiagnosed with ADHD. It is a more social acceptable label. Your first post made me think that maybe your daughter did not have Asperger's but when you add in some of the other things she sounds more Aspie to me. I have also heard that they have pasted some Autistic like symptoms into the ADHD diagnosis, even my psychiatrist who dx me told me about these new additions. In my opinion this is mainly due to the fact that an Autism diagnosis carries a much higher bill for education than an ADHD dx does.
Sorry, but I have a niece who obviously has Asperger's but is diagnosed with ADHD and her parents like this because it is more acceptable. Autism is a scary word to most people especially to the public school system ($$$$$$$$$).....just my two cents :wink: .


But ADHD and AD are common co-morbids. If she is ADHD and medicated, the remaining symptoms will become crystal clear. She needs intervention for the problems she is exhibiting - it is kind of irrelevant what they call it. If they are using that ADHD dx as an excuse to ignore her other symptoms, that is very sad indeed...



Tollorin
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03 Jun 2011, 10:28 pm

@CassandraD: You may also be interested to seek advice here: http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/list/370/parenting-the-gifted-child/


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