Aspergers- can anyone with experience help me out?

[sheetsofemptycanvas]

Does anyone have any experience with a child with aspergers? I have some questions after a conversation I had with my son's teacher today... my youngest shows a lot of the "symptoms" and I'm concerned. After going through so much with his older brother (adhd, odd, possible bi-polar) I think I may have ignored some of my little guys "quirks" and differences Anyone care to share their experience?

[i_forget]

Pm me, autism/aspergers is my life

[MortgageQueen]

My brother has aspergers. It varies greatly in degrees. It's mostly an inability to comprehend social interactions. Although he is over 50 now, I know his childhood was not fun (but mostly because it was unknown then) He literally copied other people - how they interacted, because he didn't have those feelings. . .as in fellow feeling, emotional intuition, or normal social behavior that we all take for granted.

Certainly, you should get 2 or even 3 different professional opinions though. Some jump on the aspergers "bandwagon" because the outward behavior seems to fit. Look into it on a deeper level. It could be a lot of different things causing unusual behavior.

[sheetsofemptycanvas]

Thank you for the advice. It's the social situations that fit with what I've read about aspergers... DS has no concept of how to act in social situations and it's becoming a problem in class

[sheetsofemptycanvas]

DS has always been behind when it comes to development... he acts younger than his years. Since he started kindergarten, he's been wonderful academically but socially, not so much. The teacher and I have been in constant contact and yesterday she said instead of getting more comfortable in the class and settling in, he is doing the opposite. The other children don't want to be around him because he gets in their personal space... he lies constantly but it's like he actually believes what he's saying... he doesn't seem to have a concept of what's real and what's not.

I'm not asking SC to diagnose my child I'm just asking for some advice. Like I said, I've been through the testing process with my oldest and it's not something I'm looking forward to going through again

[MortgageQueen]

Well, I can say that doesn't sound like my brother when he was a child BUT Aspergers is a vast spectrum. . .from slight to on the verge of autistic. My brother is in the higher levels. He was more of a loner but highly intelligent. He would mimic other children's behavior to fit in.
He may be trying to do that, but isn't "getting it right" ? On the other hand, as I said, it could be a lot of different things. . . .

As much as you don't want to go thru it again sweetie. . . it might be your only option to do testing
Better to know "exactly " what you're dealing with, so you can take steps to help him develop and assimilate socially as best as possible. . .
Keep us posted.

[sheetsofemptycanvas]

Thank you It just makes me wonder how much one person can go through... I want the best for my children and I hate that they've both been dealt such crappy cards

[Hollywood1818]

If you have any questions that i may be able to answer (i am a music therapist who works with children with disabilities) feel free to pm me

[Granger]

Aw sheets. I can not give you any better views than has already been given. I am a teacher in Ontario and can offer that if you have any questions or need help from an educators perspective feel free to PM me. My husband and I both work with children that have forms of autism. I also hope you are feeling supported by the school and not cornered. Approach is everything and not all teachers have that down, especially since all we can do is relay behaviours that we see, not draw conclusions.

[MortgageQueen]

If you have any questions that i may be able to answer (i am a music therapist who works with children with disabilities) feel free to pm me

I'm interested in what you do in regards to autistic kids Hollywood. . .can you share a littel with us your techniques?

[sheetsofemptycanvas]

His teacher has been excellent, she shares her concerns but doesn't push. I finally asked her yesterday if I should be talking to the dr. about all this and she said yes.

Here we go on the next roller-coaster ride LOL

[MortgageQueen]

His teacher has been excellent, she shares her concerns but doesn't push. I finally asked her yesterday if I should be talking to the dr. about all this and she said yes.

Here we go on the next roller-coaster ride LOL

Well, a good teacher is half of your battle. You're very fortunate. It would be nice to tell the principal how much you appreciate such quality and commitment. It's hard to find that anymore and we need to publicly recognize the ones that do.

[Hollywood1818]

I'm interested in what you do in regards to autistic kids Hollywood. . .can you share a littel with us your techniques?

Hi MortgageQueen,

It varies a lot depending on what the child needs and the level of the child but in basics terms:

I use music as a tool to help children with autism learn to communicate (verbal or non verbal techniques), cognitive (numbers, colours, sentences ect), work on motor skills, social skills, as well as emotional skills (learn to understand emotions and express themselves).

The music i use is based around these goals that we set. It can be goals such as working on eye contact, working on communication (verbal or non-verbal or both), working on making choices, taking turns, waiting, focusing/attention span, sharing, making choices, anything cognitive i.e. learning about numbers, seasons, how to make sentences, how to read, how to do math ect, working on fine and/or gross motor skills....the sky is the limit on what i can do.

I actually have a letter from a speech therapist stating that children with disabilities will reach their speech goals faster in music therapy then in traditional speech therapy. This is because the children do not see this as work, all kids relate to music and 99.9% enjoy it. And we are a lot cheaper than other therapies.

I hope this answers your question, but if you want more information feel free to ask.

[lilo0003]

Sheets:
I also have two boys and both have their unique challenges. I think your little one is about 7 if I recall correclty. I can tell you my older son was always awkward, had difficulty making friends and keeping them and really did not fit in class. Such a contrast to his younger super social brother. He was smart and so was able to sail through school but was sad because he was in his mind different. Well in grade 4 at 9 he was identified as gifted. So we did a full pysch-ed assessment realized he was gifted with a learning disorder. In hindsight I have no idea how I missed it, but i just wanted him to be happy. He is now is a special program for gifted kids and there are still bumps in the road but he has a close circle of friends and is invited to parties and events and he is just one of the kids and he has a sense of belonging. The key is getting the correct and accurate diagnosis and then finding the supports to help him. I hope you can find the resources you need for your son.

[MortgageQueen]

Hi MortgageQueen,

It varies a lot depending on what the child needs and the level of the child but in basics terms:

I use music as a tool to help children with autism learn to communicate (verbal or non verbal techniques), cognitive (numbers, colours, sentences ect), work on motor skills, social skills, as well as emotional skills (learn to understand emotions and express themselves).

The music i use is based around these goals that we set. It can be goals such as working on eye contact, working on communication (verbal or non-verbal or both), working on making choices, taking turns, waiting, focusing/attention span, sharing, making choices, anything cognitive i.e. learning about numbers, seasons, how to make sentences, how to read, how to do math ect, working on fine and/or gross motor skills....the sky is the limit on what i can do.

I actually have a letter from a speech therapist stating that children with disabilities will reach their speech goals faster in music therapy then in traditional speech therapy. This is because the children do not see this as work, all kids relate to music and 99.9% enjoy it. And we are a lot cheaper than other therapies.

I hope this answers your question, but if you want more information feel free to ask.

Where abouts in Ontario do you work out of?