Aspergers or NVLD

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I have a question, my 3.5 year old was dx with Aspergers a month ago. I went for a second opinion and that nuero doc doesnt think Aspergers he thinks its a NVLD. So I was reading about them and I understand that they are very similar aside from with AS they have one intrest that overcomes them. My daughter does not have that one thing she is obssesed with, but she does NEED structure and routine throughout the day to regulate herself. My daughter also have Sensory Intergration Disorder which from what I understand can coexist with AS. I dont know what to do go with a thrid opinion or just keep the Aspergers so she can get services in school. The nuero that says he thinks its NVLD said that aspergers usually isnt dx until 5 or 6. Which I dont think is true. I am just looking for input on your thoughts.

See this thread for NVLD info:

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt84443.html

My son doesn't have any single obsessive interests, but I feel strongly that AS is the right diagnosis for him.

Honestly, though, what it boils down to for me is this: a diagnosis is only worth what it can do for you. If you feel you understand your daughter, have a sense of what she needs in the way of services and accommodations, and are able to access what she needs, then you stop looking. At least, until things change and new issues arise (as they always do, no matter much time you spend on this now). If you don't have that, you keep looking.

At this age the most important thing for your daughter is to get to be herself, developing and discovering on her own schedule, and the world responding to her instead of her having to conform to the world. If you've gotten enough from the professionals to meet that need, you can set aside the questions for a little while. In a few years everything will change, and while being prepared is good, the main focus right now - IMHO - is just letting her be who she is.

I personally (and many professionals agree) feel that 3.5 years old is MUCH too young for an Aspergers dx. I just don't believe you can see the necessary traits by that age.

That's why Henry has the Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) from Kennedy Krieger and Developmental Delays from the school system. These were done when he was 3 and just turned 4 years old and both said they felt he was too young to be given the Asperger's tag. At the time, I didn't understand, but now I do. More behaviors have come out - more classic ones, since then and it makes it easier to distinguish it from something else.

At this point, an actual diagnosis isn't really important, knowing what her deficits are and how to deal with them are.

Yes that seems the best approach to me at such a young age - identify the needs but not necessarily the name for those needs at a young age. As he gets older though, a name for his differences will help him connect with a community of others who share his experiences and perspective.

NVLD is a worthless diagnosis. It isn't even in the DSM. You'll get more services, help, and recognition with an AS diagnosis.

Since your child is female they might be giving NVLD since AS is a stereotypical male disorder. They can't even tell if NVLD and AS are two different things or not. But I think once your child is older things will become more clear. Females often have more challenges as they get older while males tend to have more problems earlier on.

Personally I have some NVLD characteristicis but I'm diagnosed with Asperger's, as I feel NVLD is really more like Asperger's or PDD-NOS in (some) girls. I have most aspie diagnostic and secondary criteria (DSM IV, motor clumsiness, poor fine motor skills, poor organizational skills, hyperlexixc etc) but I am definitely more into languages than math/science. But at 3.5 you don't know if she has obsessive interests yet, many kids don't develop them until early school-age. Also getting services with NVLD is bound to be harder, it isn't even in the DSM appendix like sensory integration disorder is. I would keep her Asperger's diagnosis for now but have her be re-evaluated when she's older.

My son was diagnosed at 2.5 with PDD-NOS/possible Asperger's. At the time of his diagnosis, he did not have special interests, but about a month after his diagnosis, he started his obsession with car makes and models, and it has not stopped. He is now 5. His other special interest is churches. I am pretty certain that he has Asperger's as he also has poor fine and gross motor skills. But I think I am going to wait a couple more years to take him back to another doctor. At this point, as long as the school knows he is on the autism spectrum, that is all that matters to me.

I'm in my early teens and I'm going to get a re-evaluation soon, so I'm wondering if it's NVLD. I was extremely disorganized as a child, I was terrible at math (which, at the time, I thought was dyscalculia), but I had high peaks and scores in my verbal intelligence, giving me a 97 IQ (verbal was somewhere around 124-130, can't remember, but my Non-verbal was a pitiful 90 or 86, as far as I can tell). I also had the anxiety (started out as perfectionism, still is), poor fine and gross motor skills, and lack of abstract reasoning (or as far as my poor self-esteem could recognize; I was afraid of nuclear warfare and cried every night partially because "I didn't want my sister to go work in a sweatshop away from me,").

I hope my results are different! Oh, and that child is young, so you can't really tell yet.