Potential High Functioning Autism

[Anonymous]

Well, these are the facts OP presented: 1) the teacher has suggested testing. 2) the school has identified your child as needing social skills therapy 3) your child had a speech delay 4) your child has some atypicality's surrounding conversation 5) has had issues with eye contact that may be better? 6) he has few friends at school 7) he has anxiety 8) can have hyper focus on subjects he is interested in but doesn't follow group conversation well

These things would suggest a need for further evaluation by a professional. Whether he is in crisis now or not, is beside the point. I wouldn't jump to HFA... it could be something else.

Let's imagine that next year, your school gets a child who has an actual IEP and no longer has the space/time to offer your child social skills group? Let's imagine that next year is more demanding socially and academically. Next year may require more executive functioning skills, more group or independent work. Will your child be able to excel... keep up even?

[Anonymous]

I'm 11:10, who has a son with ADHD and possible HFA, and honestly, OP, your son sounds like he might need a full neuropsychological evaluation... but not now, at 4. It will be inconclusive and expensive, so not worth it. There is NO hurry in your case, because the school sounds very nurturing and responsive, and you sound vigilant and open-minded.

Mid-elementary onwards is when the neuropsych starts becoming more reliable. Get him into some form of social skills group, theater camp, and things like that until then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, these are the facts OP presented: 1) the teacher has suggested testing. 2) the school has identified your child as needing social skills therapy 3) your child had a speech delay 4) your child has some atypicality's surrounding conversation 5) has had issues with eye contact that may be better? 6) he has few friends at school 7) he has anxiety 8) can have hyper focus on subjects he is interested in but doesn't follow group conversation well

These things would suggest a need for further evaluation by a professional. Whether he is in crisis now or not, is beside the point. I wouldn't jump to HFA... it could be something else.

Let's imagine that next year, your school gets a child who has an actual IEP and no longer has the space/time to offer your child social skills group? Let's imagine that next year is more demanding socially and academically. Next year may require more executive functioning skills, more group or independent work. Will your child be able to excel... keep up even?

None of that means that you have to do a full on evaluation ASAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, these are the facts OP presented: 1) the teacher has suggested testing. 2) the school has identified your child as needing social skills therapy 3) your child had a speech delay 4) your child has some atypicality's surrounding conversation 5) has had issues with eye contact that may be better? 6) he has few friends at school 7) he has anxiety 8) can have hyper focus on subjects he is interested in but doesn't follow group conversation well

These things would suggest a need for further evaluation by a professional. Whether he is in crisis now or not, is beside the point. I wouldn't jump to HFA... it could be something else.

Let's imagine that next year, your school gets a child who has an actual IEP and no longer has the space/time to offer your child social skills group? Let's imagine that next year is more demanding socially and academically. Next year may require more executive functioning skills, more group or independent work. Will your child be able to excel... keep up even?

None of that means that you have to do a full on evaluation ASAP.

Well, no evaluation gets done "ASAP." You get on a waitlist for anything these days.

However, the PP succinctly outlines issues that the OP mentions and there are quite a few. Regardless of an actual diagnosis is, a lot of these things aren't an issue of maturity and will probably become more problematic if they're not addressed.

[Anonymous]

I think a fair amount of kids don't get diagnosed with autism at a young age and then when they get older and an ADOS is done they are diagnosed with Asperger's.

[Anonymous]

I have a 14yo with ADHD and HFA...I so WISH it was caught at 4...while we did have a full eval at that age, it was chaulked off to Pervasive Developmental Delay. It was YEARS before he was actually diagnosed with HFA...thought adhd was much sooner.

IMO and Experience, I would pursue ANY additional information you can get now, as opposed to waiting until he's older. The sooner you can get supports in place, socialization, perhaps other help along they way the better for ALL of you, but most especially your dc. Waiting until later means that patterns and behaviors are more deeply ingrained into your dc making it more difficult to onboard more positive or helpful behaviors.

I would also say, at least for myself, there was a huge amount of reluctance to 'see' what others were seeing, particularly at that age. I thought they were over blowing things and maybe just didn't understand him fully.

No one gets our kids like we do, but professionals see SO MANY MORE kids than most parents do that they have a better handle on what is 'in range' of typical and what is not...What can seem quirky or cute to a parent at this age/stage can be tell tale of bigger issues to come.

As a few others have offered I would take them up on WHATEVER social skills supports they are offering. EVERY kid can benefit from those.

I have also found that having a private testing completed is more thorough and complete than anything the school can provide. Also, if you do private testing, the results are yours and YOURS ALONE. You are not obligated to share those with anyone if you so chose. There have been instances where not divulging every single thing has been helpful. I hate to say it, but a lot of people will prejudge based on what they 'read' and not what they see in your kid.

Regardless of whether or not the tests demonstrate a specific need for supports or developmental or educational struggles, the information and insight into your child, their psycho educational strengths and weaknesses can be invaluable in helping to steer their learning environment and your supports in the most productive and effective ways.


Good luck OP...these journeys are never exactly spelled out with GPS...they're more like feeling your way though and being open to the sights along the way.

[Anonymous]

OP,

I have a very high functioning borderline ASD tween. (diagnosed at age 11). At 2, he became hyperfocused on rainforest frogs; at 4 he taught himself to read. He was at a fully play-based preschool, so no one knew he could read and he functioned well in that type of small setting. From a very early age, he could self play imaginatively. I never would have thought to test him back then. As a preschooler, he always had light and noise/chaos sensitivities and would just go off into his own space.

It wasn't until elementary school, where we noticed issues -- all around processing speed. He didn't finish a single piece of paper in a classroom setting in grades 1, 2, and 3. We worked with his school to put supports in place to get it so that he could finish work in a classroom setting. No one suggested testing him, and we didn't think to, either. He made a single good friend, and was not interested in other people much. But he has always made eye contact and been very normal, though overly dramatic and gets frustrated very easily at things that shouldn't be frustrating. He has had some very unique hyperfocused interests as well.

It wasn't until he headed to middle school that we decided to test him to get time accommodations. My sister actually once asked if he was ASD and even pediatrician did not think he was.

At 11, knowing has turned out to be a blessing. He's more comfortable in his own skin and wants to work on the things that are his weaknesses. We talk about the ASD as a personality, not a disease that needs a cure.

I think if I had to do it over again knowing what I do now, I would have been better off testing him in elementary school, but not before -- probably around grade 1 or 2, when it was clear that he wasn't able to finish any of his schoolwork and homework without extreme supports and a lot of anxiety.

Hope that helps.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for taking the time out of your day to post these stories and give or advice. I really hope I come across as appreciative because I really am. My husband and I have read these many times and are going to put him on some evaluation wait lists now just in case. We can always cancel I imagine if we suddenly change our minds. The school has been amazing with us and I doubt they'll change their tune, but as many posters pointed out, you don't know what might happen. I'm still not convinced that he has anything. I think I should just straight up say that I've always been the person who has asked teachers and staff whether they think he has ASD. Since the Bayley was inconclusive, I've always been on high alert and asked his teacher to see if she sees any red flags. She suggested testing in a relaxed rule-it-out way, not "holy frap you need to address this now". They're totally fine waiting for an eval. The former speech therapist does not think he has it either. He's just gotten so much better and improved his quirks so much that I just don't have the same level of concern that I did even six months ago. Of course I'm taking it day by day and realize he might take a drastic downturn at any time. I just feel bad for the little guy since I know he hates the testing process!

Thanks again
-OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for taking the time out of your day to post these stories and give or advice. I really hope I come across as appreciative because I really am. My husband and I have read these many times and are going to put him on some evaluation wait lists now just in case. We can always cancel I imagine if we suddenly change our minds. The school has been amazing with us and I doubt they'll change their tune, but as many posters pointed out, you don't know what might happen. I'm still not convinced that he has anything. I think I should just straight up say that I've always been the person who has asked teachers and staff whether they think he has ASD. Since the Bayley was inconclusive, I've always been on high alert and asked his teacher to see if she sees any red flags. She suggested testing in a relaxed rule-it-out way, not "holy frap you need to address this now". They're totally fine waiting for an eval. The former speech therapist does not think he has it either. He's just gotten so much better and improved his quirks so much that I just don't have the same level of concern that I did even six months ago. Of course I'm taking it day by day and realize he might take a drastic downturn at any time. I just feel bad for the little guy since I know he hates the testing process!

Thanks again
-OP

Sorry for all the typos. It's past 10 and I'm tired.

Op

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for taking the time out of your day to post these stories and give or advice. I really hope I come across as appreciative because I really am. My husband and I have read these many times and are going to put him on some evaluation wait lists now just in case. We can always cancel I imagine if we suddenly change our minds. The school has been amazing with us and I doubt they'll change their tune, but as many posters pointed out, you don't know what might happen. I'm still not convinced that he has anything. I think I should just straight up say that I've always been the person who has asked teachers and staff whether they think he has ASD. Since the Bayley was inconclusive, I've always been on high alert and asked his teacher to see if she sees any red flags. She suggested testing in a relaxed rule-it-out way, not "holy frap you need to address this now". They're totally fine waiting for an eval. The former speech therapist does not think he has it either. He's just gotten so much better and improved his quirks so much that I just don't have the same level of concern that I did even six months ago. Of course I'm taking it day by day and realize he might take a drastic downturn at any time. I just feel bad for the little guy since I know he hates the testing process!

Thanks again
-OP

I have a quirky kid too and I saw a huge change in him between 3.5 and 4 in terms of maturity and social interactions. I also have a dev ped appt for September for "just in case." So you are not alone. It's great that the school is supportive. If the teacher and professionals have not expressed much concern at this time, that is an important piece of evidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a fair amount of kids don't get diagnosed with autism at a young age and then when they get older and an ADOS is done they are diagnosed with Asperger's.

NP. Agree. Aspergers, start of 2nd grade. Things were "off" for years, starting with feedback in preschool...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a fair amount of kids don't get diagnosed with autism at a young age and then when they get older and an ADOS is done they are diagnosed with Asperger's.

NP. Agree. Aspergers, start of 2nd grade. Things were "off" for years, starting with feedback in preschool...

What do you mean by "off"?

[Anonymous]

What are you done by to treat the anxiety? This can be such an all-encompassing problem that manifests itself differently in different people and at different ages. My DD takes it out on us -- and has since age 3 -- but other people have more social implications (and outward face by school issues, which we don't have.).

Kudos to you for being such a good advocate for your child. This testing rabbit hole can be a deep one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,

I have a very high functioning borderline ASD tween. (diagnosed at age 11). At 2, he became hyperfocused on rainforest frogs; at 4 he taught himself to read. He was at a fully play-based preschool, so no one knew he could read and he functioned well in that type of small setting. From a very early age, he could self play imaginatively. I never would have thought to test him back then. As a preschooler, he always had light and noise/chaos sensitivities and would just go off into his own space.

It wasn't until elementary school, where we noticed issues -- all around processing speed. He didn't finish a single piece of paper in a classroom setting in grades 1, 2, and 3. We worked with his school to put supports in place to get it so that he could finish work in a classroom setting. No one suggested testing him, and we didn't think to, either. He made a single good friend, and was not interested in other people much. But he has always made eye contact and been very normal, though overly dramatic and gets frustrated very easily at things that shouldn't be frustrating. He has had some very unique hyperfocused interests as well.

It wasn't until he headed to middle school that we decided to test him to get time accommodations. My sister actually once asked if he was ASD and even pediatrician did not think he was.

At 11, knowing has turned out to be a blessing. He's more comfortable in his own skin and wants to work on the things that are his weaknesses. We talk about the ASD as a personality, not a disease that needs a cure.

I think if I had to do it over again knowing what I do now, I would have been better off testing him in elementary school, but not before -- probably around grade 1 or 2, when it was clear that he wasn't able to finish any of his schoolwork and homework without extreme supports and a lot of anxiety.

Hope that helps.

NP here and our child sounds very similar to this PP's minus the obsessive interests at age 2. In his case, testing in mid-elementary showed the issues are due to anxiety rather than ASD or other issues. I wanted to chime in to emphasize the point that it can be very hard to diagnose from a snapshot of a child this age and things can and often do change dramatically as a child gets slightly older.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would do ADOS/ADI-R which only tests for ASD and is the gold standard. 4 is too young for a Neuropsych eval.

My son had zero issues until he entered prek and his teacher pointed out that there maybe issues. DS was diagnosed with ASD/Asperger's at 4 and got an IEP.

He is doing great in 3rd grade at a language immersion school. Has lots of friends and loves school.

If it turns out that your son has ASD, better to find out now and get him help rather than later.

If you don't mind me asking, what treatment is available for mild ASD? Other than socialization therapy (people might not be interested in hearing you talk about earthworms/LEGOs/Trains/insects/spaceships/human body all the time), I'm not sure what else he needs. I think my position is that the teacher's concerns are more of "let's test to rule it out", and less "these are the problems I see and let's get on them now". IF he was having serious issues I would be first in line to try to get some more testing done. Since the only issues are likes to talk about a few topics, and has a handful of friends at school... I'm not seeing the problem I guess?

op

People underestimate what kind of supports are needed for kids with "mild ASD" because they usually do not have academic issues. My son does not and excels academically but he gets 20 hrs of Sp Ed support for social communication issues and 8 hr a month for social skills classes, pragmatic speech therapy and OT for fine motor issues - currently typing speed. The Sp Ed support means that there is a Sp Ed teacher in the classroom to help with any issues that may come up. DS has always been fully mainstreamed at his current school which is the only school he has ever attended with the bonus that he started at the school with the mostly same group of kids since prek4... but there are over 100 kids in his class so plenty of kids to be friends with.

I want my kid to have friends including a best friend at school, not bullied or picked on, be a full participant and not a kid out by himself in the sidelines and to love going to school. He gets all that with the supports he has.

It is difficult to provide high level academics with social supports. There is exactly one school, Auburn, in this area that integrates a social skills curriculum with high level differentiation.

IF your son has ASD, it is better to know sooner. Finding a school willing and able to provide the social supports (and the social curriculum) that a child with mild ASD needs is hard. Better to start looking now.

I wanted to add that DS was diagnosed at 4 by a developmental pediatrician, Dr Dan Shapiro, who does school observations, ADOS/ADI-R at a Children's, and a psychoeducational evaluation done by the school using a clinical psychologist from GW. All three diagnosed ASD/Asperger's independently. DS is not borderline but no one who meets DS now at 8 would ever think he has any diagnosis. DS had a full neuropsych eval at 7 with Dr. David Black who diagnosed ADHD, combined type, as well as confirming the ASD/Asperger's.

What most people see is a bilingual child who excels at school who is very passionate and talented and is a happy kid. I give all the credit to the fact that he has always gotten supports and services from his IEP that anticipates issues before they cause problems. We haven't always been successful particularly when it came to the ADHD which wasn't diagnosed until second grade but identifying problems early and putting in supports have worked well for us overall.