Think my son is an aspie; what kind of doc?

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Hi folks:

I'm an occupational therapy assistant and a mom with one kid. My son is 5 yrs old, started kindergarten this past Sept. I've kind of suspected something was a little wonky, but attributed it to the fact I'm in a profession where it's easy to convince one's self that your kid has everything you see. But now that he's in kindergarten, and having just as tough a time as he did in pre-school, it's time to look a little deeper.

To clarify, he has some Aspie traits, but not all. Definitely is anxious, often tells me he's "nervous" (in regards to everything from a birthday party, to putting on his coat, to visiting his favorite cousins). Is currently obsessed with video games, and has meltdowns often because we limit the amount of time he can play. And this is despite having clear rules about when and how long he can play. Also obsessed with reading, to the point we've had to take all the lights out of his room else he stays up all night reading his books. Doesn't usually participate in class, although all the things he won't do in school he does at home (sings the songs, spells, etc). He loves his Hot Wheels cars, and will lay on the floor and drive them back and forth (to watch the wheels I suspect). Inflexible, doesn't like new situations & big groups, scared of dogs, loud noises, etc, etc. You get the picture.

On the other hand, he has a best friend, currently a lovely little girl in his class (they are "in love" apparently). He tends to stick to one friend at a time though. While he can be anxious about new situations, he has surprised me and jumped in feet first to situations I would have guaranteed he was going to have a nervous breakdown over (we moved this past summer and he was great). He's been in a social group since Oct and is doing awesome. And he loves to talk to strangers. Yet he hides behind me when we go places he's been before. Go figure.

So I've been hesitant about putting him through all the school and outside testing. But I'm thinking now I need to, since his behavior is affecting his education. So let me ask what you folks think I should do in terms of an eval: a developmental pediatrician? A neuropsychologist? Any other ideas? The school will be doing their own evaluations, of course, but they can't diagnose, just determine where he is having educational problems and attempt to address them thru an IEP or 504 plan. Oh, and I realize he may wind up with a different diagnosis, although I doubt it.

A neuropsychologist diagnosed my son and I , I read your other other post also we have that happen daily .

definitely a psychologist. Psychiatrists want to sedate or medicate. Some medication might work, for PTSD and anxiety, but definitely for a diagnosis find a good clinical psychologist with ink blots and tests and what ever family and teacher interviews that might be necessary to evaluate his issues.

I was interviewed and did tests in two visits a week or two apart. I had no family or friends to interview, ( actually that was part of my diagnosis) but that is usually done as well.

and then it is done, you wait for a few weeks and then you get called in for a consultation and the Dr goes over the diagnosis report.

Merle

Good point about a regular psychiatrist. We may wind up looking at anxiety meds in the future, but definitely not where I want to start!

Make sure if you go to a clinical psychologist they are familiar with autism. I sent my son to a board certified clinical psychologist with a certification in CBT, for CBT therapy. She had no clue how to work with, nor did she understand about aspergers. It was a disaster. I was a bad parent that let my kid get away with everything and she couldn't work with someone with such different beliefs.

I would probably go to a developmental pediatrition, or see if your regular pediatrition can refer you to someone.

Neuropsych. You're going to want to get a good picture of how your kid learns, where his strengths/weaknesses are, and how his brain works. Ask for a full report, with all the test results--when I got mine, it gave me a lot of useful information about myself, and you can pass it along to others who might be working for you and your son.

Oh, yeah, and if anybody wants to immediately medicate your son (unless he has moderate to severe depression, anxiety, or ADHD, in which case medication is a reasonable tool to use), get a second opinion. If they want to medicate without also working on his learning how to cope (therapy/education) and changing his environment to be more supportive, find another doctor. Anybody who thinks medication is all you need if you are a child with an ASD shouldn't be treating children with ASDs!