Do I let the school label him just so he can get any help?

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I am not sure what to do and I am wrestling with this situation, maybe you all can help me with this. As some of you already know, the doctor who dx'd my 16 yr old with bipolar, didn't give a dx on the asperger's, even after his local therapist urged this. It is bad enough that I am questioning weather there really is bipolar or if he is just AS and that I wanted the dx of asperger's to get him the help at school he needs before it's too late. I want him to get help at school and with no dx of AS I fear that the school would label him emotionally disturbed in order to provide him services. That is what they would label him if I try to get an IEP right now with the bipolar dx. I just don't think it's right, but do I let them do that just to get him something? We are still working on getting help from a doctor who is an expert in AS, hopefully that will happen soon. Should I wait for that?

I would wait... I don't like the sounds of labing him "emotionaly disturbed". It could insight fear of him, and I worry that if he acts out at all, he will wind up in a locked down school in a real hurry.

Understand though, I don't know the american system at all. (north of the border).

How about going back to your current doctor and seeing if you can get a lable for Sensory Intigration Disorder? Would the school use that to provide help? It sounds like a lot of his issues are related to SI, which trigger these outbursts...

I would wait for an acurate dx, remember there may be more going on as in Z's case.
Work with what you have in hand but continue to pursue the most acurate dx.

my son has an ED label even though he's aspie....

Ster, Has it gotten your son the necessary help? I am only going on rumors, but I hear that he could end up in a lousy setting at school if he gets that label here. I mean if I knew that they would give him what he needs and would treat him properly I wouldn't care what they labeled him.

Carolcat, just reread your original post here. You said your son's therapist thinks a dx of AS. Is this therapist clinical Psychologist or a Social Worker. A "label" of ED might work against your son's best interest if He has Aspergers. Continue trying to work with the specialist yopu mentioned, also look into the possibility of a Neuro-Psych evaluation.

Whatever the dx is it will follow him for the rest of his life. Do your best to make sure it is the right one.

a label of ED helped get my son into the private therapeutic day school he goes to now.....the system did not have an ED teacher, and could not deal with my son. at the last minute, they got a new ED teacher, and wanted to place son in with other kids who were labeled as ED, but were also lower on the IQ scale......i'm not saying it will work for you~ it worked for us though

From experience I would say you should definitely wait for the AS diagnosis!!

I was in the same situation with my 12 year old son. He had been having trouble with anxiety and learning. The first dx was severe general anxiety disorder. They put him in the same class that they put chwldren with emotional and behavioural issues into. Within 2 months I had a child that was melting down every day, showing phobias and obsessions that were not normal to him and threatening to kill himself just to avoid school. I took him the mental health clinic (in Canada) and they worked with him and brought in as autism specialist. His dx was AS.
Now that he is back in a regular class with a modified program and the funding to help him, he is doing better in school than ever and has had no meltdowns in 4 months. It still takes constant contact with the school and intervention as soon as I see anything that isn't working but it is worth it.
I have been doing a LOT of research into Asperger's and school and all the literature says the same thing, children with AS do not belong in classrooms meant for children with behaviour issues. emotional issues or for children with below average IQ's. These classes are not a structured as a regular class (at least not in Canada) and the other children are unpredictable.

If you live in the U.S. it gives you the protection of some very specific laws. It also entitles you to something called an IEP, which is complicated, but can work very much in the kid's favor. It's going to be awhile before things get sorted out, meanwhile, in many states, it means that if there is a question of a very expensive but more apropriate "setting," a special school, the school system that makes that determination has to pay for it. Some of those places cost upwards of 40,000 a year....and some of them are wonderful. The American's With Disabilities act is very helpful if you have read it, and so are some of the state laws (particularly in California). I'm sorry to say, we've been there, done that.
best
btdt