Aspergers- can anyone with experience help me out?

[Hollywood1818]

Where abouts in Ontario do you work out of?

I am in the york region area and i travel all around the area (all the way to bathurst and steels) I will travel about 30-45minutes anywhere around me. If you are interested in meeting with someone and are not in my area I can always refer someone to you.

[MortgageQueen]

My nephew is in Missiassauga. Was hoping you'd be closer. Although I haven't talked to my sister-in-law. She's an absolute guru on Autism. . . and Aspergers, since she's married to my brother with it.

[Hollywood1818]

well i am always here for advice and if she is interested in it i can always refer someone i know. Most people have not heard about music therapy as it is still fairly new in canada (i believe it is either 1976 or 1979 i always mix up that year). It is an amazing therapy that can do a lot for children (even those who do not have disabilities) as an early childhood development program.

[Minou]

Sorry to hear about this, but it's probably best for your son to be identified early so he has access to interventions/help in school if necessary. You can usually trust an experienced teacher's instincts when it comes to Asperger's, as they've probably worked with a number of children who have it to varying degrees and with varying behaviours. Heck, as a high school teacher, I can usually pick out even ADD within a few classes, even when information on a student hasn't yet been shared. Sometimes parents of kids with ADD/ADHD take their kids off of medication without telling their kids' teachers because they doubt that their children need the medication and want to see if the teacher notices a difference. The difference is obvious very quickly.

[sheetsofemptycanvas]

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.

It's my little guy, he just turned 5 in October. The teacher is really concerned about his social skills and how he interacts with the other students. Then again, he was never in daycare or preschool so he is very little experience with other children. This is his first year of school (he wasn't ready to start the year before) and I wanted to start him in JK but because of his age he had to start in SK. He does have his quirks, some of which have always seemed "off" to me, so we're going to talk to the Dr. about it.

Sorry to hear about this, but it's probably best for your son to be identified early so he has access to interventions/help in school if necessary. You can usually trust an experienced teacher's instincts when it comes to Asperger's, as they've probably worked with a number of children who have it to varying degrees and with varying behaviours. Heck, as a high school teacher, I can usually pick out even ADD within a few classes, even when information on a student hasn't yet been shared. Sometimes parents of kids with ADD/ADHD take their kids off of medication without telling their kids' teachers because they doubt that their children need the medication and want to see if the teacher notices a difference. The difference is obvious very quickly.

My older son suffers from severe ADHD and I have never taken him off his meds without letting the teacher know. Meds have been a godsend for him to at least manage his ADHD... he has other disorders but for his ADHD the meds are the only thing that gets him through the school day. I'm rather shocked that parents would just take them off and not say anything

Aspergers may not be the answer but it's an avenue to look into and I would like to at least rule it out. Thank you all for the great advice and kind words, I knew I could count on my SC family

[MortgageQueen]

I'm frankly surprised there hadn't been more SC'rs coming to this discussion. I would've thought there would be several (at least) that have Aspergers in their family.
Keep us posted Sheetsofcanvas. We're rooting for you and your little guy.

[i_forget]

MQ, it makes me very happy knowing that your brother is married.

Some nights I sit here and think the worst about my boys....that they will never leave the house, that they will never find love, that they will be dependent on me for life.

I know that they are only 6 and 9, and that they will change so much over the years to come, but as a mother I always fear the worst....you just gave me a bit of hope.

[sheetsofemptycanvas]

MQ, it makes me very happy knowing that your brother is married.

Some nights I sit here and think the worst about my boys....that they will never leave the house, that they will never find love, that they will be dependent on me for life.

I know that they are only 6 and 9, and that they will change so much over the years to come, but as a mother I always fear the worst....you just gave me a bit of hope.

I sit awake many nights thinking of worst case scenarios... I worry so much for my boys.

[MortgageQueen]

Aspergers is a condition with a very wide range. I have been on forums (autism) that asperger people post to and many have found a compatible mate. The key is, to be open about it and deal with issues that come up. I would not recommend marraige for someone with severe aspergers, as they really are not capable of that emotional attachment.

That said, they certainly have interests and passions in life that can be very fulfilling. We tend to think that finding a mate is neccesary to making us complete. We "normal" people are quite needy. People in the higher end spectrum of aspergers just don't need that. That doesn't make them unhappy. They're just different from us . . .less needy

[Karabana]

https://www.facebook.com/AutismOptimism

My nephew has Aspergers.
Has anyone followed this series of articles? They are very interesting:

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/autismproject

There is also a blog:
http://thestar.blogs.com/autismproject/

[Booboobear]

Oh sheets, I'm so sorry! As parents, we always want the best for our kids, and when they are struggling it breaks our hearts. My youngest daughter is 9 and she has a lot of her own issues. She has hoarding tendencies (she will not throw anything out), she recently starting stuttering very badly, and everything scares her. All we can do is love them and get them the help they need. It will all be OK, its getting there that is the hard part.

[gryphon]

If you want to speak with someone with Asperger's

I was recently diagnosed with it.

[MortgageQueen]

If you want to speak with someone with Asperger's

I was recently diagnosed with it.

Wow, gryphon. . .did it come as a huge shock for you or were you relieved to finally have a name to put on how you felt? I know my brother felt so relieved to know why he felt/saw/experienced life differently than others.

[sheetsofemptycanvas]

Oh sheets, I'm so sorry! As parents, we always want the best for our kids, and when they are struggling it breaks our hearts. My youngest daughter is 9 and she has a lot of her own issues. She has hoarding tendencies (she will not throw anything out), she recently starting stuttering very badly, and everything scares her. All we can do is love them and get them the help they need. It will all be OK, its getting there that is the hard part.

My oldest hoards as well, everything from water bottles, to gum wrappers, to stuffed animals. It's so hard to watch them go through things like that Thank you for the kind words, they are really appreciated!!

If you want to speak with someone with Asperger's

I was recently diagnosed with it.

I might just take you up on that Gryphon! I'm wondering as well, was it a shock or did you always suspect something was wrong or different? I know that when my oldest was diagnosed with ADHD it was a relief to finally have some answers... although now I'm thinking that that diagnosis was wrong, or at least it's not the extent of his problems.

I've been doing a lot of research on the subject of aspergers and the more I read the more I'm just not sure. I don't see his doc until the end of the month so I'll just keep reading until then. Some days I think little guy is just immature for his age, and other days he does things that are so... I don't know, odd? That it makes me really wonder. Guess time will tell!

[gryphon]

It wasnt exactly a shockto me as I had suspected it and two previous therapists had unooficially diagnosed me before.

I had been diagnosed prior to this with Non verbal learning disorder (NVLD) which overlaps with aspergers.

It does explain alot about my childhood though,