Asbergers-lite or very ADHD?

Post Reply New Topic

Hello...like many on this site, I have a son who has been diagnosed as severly ADHD. He currently takes Straterra AND Focalin (a Ritalin derivative). My question is he has many characteristics of an Asperger's
- very brite (straight A student, plays trumpet, etc.)
- Social Difficulty keeping friends (though he will talk to anyone)
- Hard time remembering routine (ie turning in homework)
- Clumsy athletically...

My question is is there any resources out there to help me decide if he is more towards Asperger's vs. ADHD? He has been tested by one of the best clinics for Autism in the southwest, and they "believe" he is not...

Thanks in advance.

I am an ADD neurotypical. I got good grades in school, especially or at least in subjects that interested me, and it was major slacking in uninteresting subjects in middle school that finally got someone to think along the lines of ADD. Besides that, I was just a weird kid. I was not good socially, and had poor common sense. I was not clumsy - average/normal motor skills.

Check out nonverbal learning disorder - that could explain the clumsiness, possibly. It can co-occur with ADD.

http://www.childbrain.com/pddq6.shtml

Look at this site and fill out the questionaire. It makes for a good starting point.

Before or after medication?

I like to think Asperger's syndrome and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder meet in a higher-order dimension. I call this higher-order dimension ADHDTV (thank The Onion for that term).

For Aspergonauts to travel in such hyperspace requires Spaceship A.D.D.

Or so I was told by a young boy with ADD who doodled the comic book in the margins of his notebook during Miss Miller's mathematics in l'action! class.

To view it in a positive light, Hyperfocus combined a lifelong obsession could make a perfect specialist for any topic (as long as you don't get obsessed with polka).

thanks all...as a followup, I went to the site: he was ranked "no PDD" (score=35). Also, my sons med's make him far more focused and capable than before...he is night and day in his self control...also went from an a/b student to straight a's.

I don't know if I am right where I was, or for that matter what to do next...maybe it just doesn't matter...but here's a finer tuned list that describes my son.

ADHD?
- very bright
- trouble making and desiring to be around friends
- trouble with routine (eg: putting clothes into laundry, not leaving shoes around when asked over and over)
- takes meds...and is WAY more capable of self control...

Asperger's?
- communicates great with adults, poorly with children own age
- in social situations with kids, when doesnt know what to do may say or do something awkward: example playing basketball may start to sing or cheer inappropriately...
- very poor athletic skills compared to kids his age (but plays sports anyway)...though he is left handed.
- Looks down all the time...though he is not sad or 'depressed'...has done this forever...
- difficulty learning 'manners'...
- Chews nails...

He sounds an awful lot like he could be a case of AD/HD + NVLD - probably about as close to Asperger's as you can get while not being on the autism spectrum at all. Coordination problems, communicating better with adults than other kids, and social problems could all be NVLD symptoms (possibly a mild case), and the rest could be AD/HD. I knew an AD/HD-NVLD case once, and she was an awful lot like me except that she had problems with body language and other visual and kinesthetic stuff that I didn't have. I didn't know her as a child, but she told stories of having trouble with learning how to write. I had some trouble with social skills and behavioral regulation as a kid, and was more verbal than visual and might have been somewhat adultlike in communication style, but I didn't have any notable kinesthetic or visual issues and so don't have NVLD. It's also possible that your son is a case like me, but the athleticism deficits (coordination problems) make him sound like a better NVLD candidate.

A website with NVLD info:
http://www.nldline.com/

Sounds like me when I was 12. I meds took form A's & B's to all A's, then I see no reason for them. I think it's better to learn self control on your own rather than depend on medication, I wish my parents had never medicated me. Something I can say about Adderal (or anything like it) is that it can lead easily into addictions. After school, all that focus has ot be used on somethign or it'll drive you insane with bordom. Usually, my brother (medicated) well turn to videogames...that's why he has trouble making friends, because he has control issues caused by his videogame addiction. He's used to absolute power in his little videogame world, which is why he hardly ever bothers being nice to people in real life.

Me and my brother have that in common, only I don't do the first one anymore. My little brother is dx'd ADHD, and nothing else.



Same here, but I've gotten better without the useless assistance of medication. Working something into my routine takes a lot of time and effort on both ends. And while I'm fairly smart, I still have problems with my grades. Then again, the public school system is heavily flawed when it comes to people who can only learn in a limited number of ways. Frineds, I've never actually tried making a friend before, it just happens when it does. It's a confidence issue for me.


I communicate better with weird people, and peolpe who are either much younger or much older than me. I can carry on a conversation with a 13 year old middle girl, but put me face to face with an atypical male of my age and I'd get bored in the mind boggling rant of cars, women, and how "good" rap music is.



I did those things in middle school. I looked down a lot, but I was depressed. I was put on Prozac, and "argh!" the problems it caused me. Chewing nails was out of nervousness.

In all honesty, it really doesn't matter what you're son has, as long as you know how to take care of him, and try your best to understand him. Labels are just to better help undestanding and to know what your problems are, so it's easier to find help and others like you.

thanks ghost and sarcastic....

i have very keen awareness of my sons issues; i just need to better understand how to manage expections. One example, he has poor table manors...I work with him every day but its the same issue over and over and over (chomps food w/open mouth). For this particular issue as a parent I have a choice...set consequences (or get mad whatever), or understand that he will just never figure it out because he can't. This is where I am trying to be better educated. It is frustrating as it is for many parents I am sure...this is where I'm seeking info, understanding, etc. along with trying to know if he's severly adhd (medication) or aspsergers (no medication can solve)

one of my pet evils is video games...like you say, it's crack for kids...any thoughts on when too much is too much?

thanks everyone for inputs.

If the video games start to interfere with school work or personal life, then it's too much. The key to drawing the line between an appropriate amount and too much is whether or not your son is able to quit the video game (with a few minutes' warning) in order to attend to previous obligations.