What am I going to do?

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I agree - I think taking psychiatric medications purely to reduce 'undesirable' personality traits associated with AS is dangerous, and the idea is actually pretty insulting when you think about it. I like being goofy too, and I don't give a damn if 'normal' people find that weird, cos I find them pretty weird too. People need to be more accepting of each others innate differences in my not-so-humble opinion. (oh and yes, I do know what its like raising a goofy, talkative Aspielet, I have at least one myself)

Dunc

My son's "goofiness" is part of his personality, and I'm not trying to change that. People tell him all the time to stop because he's being annoying, but he doesn't care. I'm just trying to get him to calm down long enough to listen - so he can take care of some self-help skills and succeed at school. He currently is failing 10th grade, and won't shower, brush his teeth, clean up after himself, etc.. unless I tell him constantly. I'm getting so frustrated. When he's on meds that work, he's much more independent/functional.

I have one other question - Does anyone have any experience with leaving HS early (taking the GED) and talking online classes? I'm thinking about doing that with my son, but I'm still not sure. His school has not been very accomodating and he's failing. His IQ and achievement score are very high. I think if he takes just one or two classes online, he'll be able to keep up with them. But also worried about less socialization. He's very immature, but his Dr. said staying in HS won't help with maturity. He just turned 16 and has a diagnosis of HFA.

I still don't know that much about HFA or personally know any other people with it, so please help!! Thanks!

Mattie,

Could you register so I may PM you?

I know of a HFA tutor. He might be able to help but I don't want to post his contact info on an open forum.


BeeBee

Well, it is about a child with AS, but not necessarily *your* child with AS, as all are unique as you say. I recognised some aspects the character shared with my HFA son, but not all. The teachers were trying to help, as others have said, but I think maybe one has to be NT to appreciate the very "external" view the book takes, and after all it is only fiction and not a parents' guide so not very helpful in overcoming problems.

We in our family are discussing the very question of special school vs mainstream right now. There are no easy answers. For sure, teacher awareness is essential, and you must insist that all staff get proper training in *all* aspects of AS as they affect your daughter. But environmental alternations (giving your dughter plenty of space when she needs it, a "safe space or room" for her to retreat to when stressed, are also possibilities. Can you make contact with other parents and get some ideas as to what worked for their kids.

I'm registered now. Have you ever heard of a school disagreeing with a diagnosis, even with Dr. reports and letters? Don't they have to do their own testing if they disagree?

My son's dr. also recommended the"Curious incident of the dog in the night". I ordered it off Amazon...waiting for it to arrive. He said it will help me to understand and said my son should read it too.

I am much more familar with the educational laws as the pertain to Learning Disabilities and Emotional Disabilities and in that context, yes, I have heard of schools disagreeing. Then you ask for *why* in writting. I have found my schools won't put a refusal in writing because they are afraid of being taken to due process. It stinks that one has to fight for what our children need.

Mattie, are you in the US? If so I can post link to the federally funded parent training centers. Each state has one. In theory, they help parents figure out federal law. In practice some are much better than other.

In our case, our son was tested by the schools for AS first. Two years later we ended up doing private testing.

BeeBee

I am against meds unless the person is a harm to himself or others. Some medications are a necessity and sometimes they are overprescribed.

I think that Aspies are just a different kind of personality and forcing the issues aren't going to make anyone happy or make much of a difference.

As the saying goes, the more difficult the disease, the more remedies there will be.

I am glad Motherofhim said her opinion
of med's. I have always felt that coping
skills, not disguising the true symptoms
as the best remedy.

"I am not you, you are not me, So don't
compare myself with you" is a phrase that
needs apply here.

Sincerely,
Ghosthunter

It's worth noting that the book doesn't even attempt to give a specific diagnosis, either within the story or in the cover notes. The closest it comes are the two reviews that mention "autism" and "emotionally dissociative". The main character's traits drive the story, and it seems to me that he experiences a smorgasbord of LFA, HFA and AS situations (with appropriately enhanced or diminished mental capacity) as required to advance the plot.

It's a good story (although the ending was a bit abrupt) about a person with an unspecified ASD, but I wouldn't get any more specific than that.

However, truth to tell, I am not sure that if there were such thing as a "maturity pill" I would be tempted to give it a try.

I am an Aspie mom of an 11yo highly gifted Aspie son. He has never been to regular school -- I have been homeschooling him (and his 3 older and 1 younger sibs) right from the start. He is currently finishing the 7th grade curriculum, 2 grade levels ahead of everyone else his age.

I have heard that it is being recommended only to use stimulants (Ritalin, Adderal) during childhood and the teenage years, as they are thinking prolonged use can cause some very mild brain damage if continued into adulthood or just plain taken for an extremely long time.

I agree. 60mg sounds like an excessive amount. Try reading up on high dose vitamin supplements. Some people have found GREAT success with calming ADHD/ADD by taking certain vitamins in high doses, as it is being hypothesized that ADHD individuals just need more of certain supplements to support the overall health of the brain. But mind you, I am not talking about any all-in-one pills. Do some research. Fish oils have been found to work wonders, as well as magnesium and various other ones.

(Read the article The Vitamin Cure? in May 2005 Discovery Magazine. It can help point you in the right direction. But before giving extreme amounts of vitamins to anyone, make sure those amounts are not found to be poisonous at extreme levels. Some vitamins are like that. Best just to do some research in general and look at the figures themselves.

And quite addictive too. I am currently trying to stop taking those kinds of stimulants, esp. after I started having paranoid fantasys of people hiding in weird places. Psychosis is another possible side effect of prolonged stimulant use. . .. . I would avoid ritalen or concerta if I were you.

My older son takes AdderallRX for ADHD and has for about nine months. He had to stop for other health reasons and really missed how he could concentrate and listen better with the Adderall. He was happy when that got cleared up and he could start again.

His father started Ritalin about six months ago at age 47. Its certainly working for him too.

Meds are only part of the ADHD issue and don't work for all, but they have been a God-send for my family.

Richard Sogn, MD (practicing psychiatrist specializing in ADHD and ADHD himself) has a forum on WebMD. Dr. Sogn says there have been no long term studies on the stimulants in healthy adults at the dosage used for ADHD. He posted that he feels long term usage is safe as he has patents who have have been on the meds 20 years or more without ill side effects. Of course, that is just one doctor's opinion.

I also know quite a few families that have had very good results going without meds and using higher doses of vitimins and minerals. I think this is the area of the future.

BeeBee

That they were for me, when I started taking them. My grades went from failing to A+ in a year.

Over time (5 years or so) the bad effects I mentioned started to crop up. Another effect I forgot to mention was that it can make my anexity levels skyrocket and put me into overload in no time flat.

I wish you best of luck with your son.

where can one reach this doctor?