Aspergers Syndrome?

My oldest son (age 15) is diagnosed with Aspberger's Syndrome. He seems to be fairly high functioning but like a lot of things, AS seems to have a huge spectrum and a kid can be anywhere on that spectrum. I am just speaking from our experience but the biggest challenge my son has is trouble with social skills. He is not a super social kid and as a younger child had huge struggles in this area. He is doing much better in High School - I'm not sure if it is maturity or what but he seems to be able to make adjustments better. AS kids also seem to get "stuck" on things. Certain tangents sort of - a conversation can be long over and my son will still be discussing it. He seems to get fixated on things (Power Rangers when he was younger, today it was Survivor he discussed with me for 1/2 hour why the person who was voted out should have been). You really can't get him to change the subject if he doesn't want to. This was pretty much all I could think of off the top of my head. I'll try to add more (after I've slept and can make a little more sense!). Best Wishes to you!

You may want to post under the autism section because it is an autism spectrum disorder. There may be more people there who can help.

Thank you for the information.

Thank you, I will check it out.

Suzberg, how old was your son when he was diagnosed with asperger's? How hard was it for you to get a diagnosis, and how did you get it? Our 7 year old adopted son is displaying many of the traits I have observed in kids with AS and seen listed as symptoms. Your description: "AS kids also seem to get "stuck" on things. Certain tangents sort of - a conversation can be long over and my son will still be discussing it. He seems to get fixated on things (Power Rangers when he was younger, today it was Survivor he discussed with me for 1/2 hour why the person who was voted out should have been). You really can't get him to change the subject if he doesn't want to." Sounds just like E. there was a Mega man phase, then a Bionicle phase... he can spend 8 hours playing bionicles, with only a short lunch break - and gets mad when you tell him it is time to eat! He never likes to watch any movies, the only television he likes to watch is America's Funniest Videos, Animal Planet and the local news. He makes a lot of noises when he is playing alone or with the cat - I mean really loud purposeless noises. When we ask him to stop he says sorry, and stops for about 15 seconds, then is back to it. He is sensitive to smells, noises and sights - this morning he started to gag because he saw my mothers pills sitting on the table! He is constantly pulling his pants up, even if they have not slid down at all, he licks his lips so much that he has a chap ring that extends out half an inch from his lips, and he sits and makes faces without being aware he is doing it. When I try to discuss it with either the therapist or the psychiatrist they dismiss me like I am just being paranoid. I went so far as to list every single concern I had for the psychiatrist and he looked through it and gave lousy excuses or explanations for every single one. He did change the adhd med, saying that adderal sometimes causes tics, but that was it. He gave me a form to fill out and one for his teacher. It is the ASEBA behavior checklist. When I got the one back from the teacher I was astounded... I could have sworn she had met my child! But the answers she gave did not seem to reflect either my son, or any of the discussions we have had concerning him. I am so frustrated. I love my son. He is an absolute joy - when he isn't stuck in one of his negative swings or having a total meltdown over something. He is bright and loving... and having such a hard time dealing with life.

mrsred - My son was 12 when he was diagnosed with Aspberger's. He was diagnosed by the school psychologist at the middle school. She gave him an IQ test, some behavior tests, gave me and his teachers a survey/questionairre to fill out (I could look up the names of these forms if you'd like-they're just filed away -let me know). He has continued on the medication he was taking for ADHD as it seemed to be working even though the diagnosis was changed to Aspbergers. Our school district has an Autism Specialist - if your district has one, I would suggest giving them a call to see if there is anything they could suggest or if they can test him or at least rule out the need for him to be tested. I usually don't like to go through the school for things like this BUT if your therapist and psychiatrist are not being helpful, it might help to talk to someone else. Our pediatrician has also being very helpful in making suggestions. You're last paragraph reminded me so much of my son T. I hope you are able to get an answer to help your son whether it's Aspberger's or something else. Please let me know if you have any other questions.