Question for Asperger parents

[Anonymous]

Let me preface this by saying I have a 35 year old brother with what I consider to be a pretty severe manifestation of Asperger's. My daughter has just turned 2 and is exhibiting many of both the symptoms of Asperger's and the quirks that my brother has (odd grimacing, hand flapping, really odd body movements/postures when in group settings, severe social awkwardness, etc). Our pediatrician contends that it is too early to conclude anything and we need to wait until she's older to see if she does better in groups. So I guess I'm asking how early you knew that your child has Asperger's?? My brother was born in the 70s when there was little or no research and resources out there so he wasn't diagnosed until 15, believe it or not. Seeing him suffer makes me want to get on top of things with my little girl, who seems to be his kindred spirit. Thanks so much for any help!

[Anonymous]

Your ped may be right that two is too young to diagnose Asperger's, but that doesn't mean that you have to just sit around and wait. You can start addressing the symptoms right now! I would start with a good speech/language evaluation, with the goal of improving pragmatic language/social skills. You can also get an OT evaluation, if that seems appropriate. Finally, establishing a relationship with a developmental pediatrician would give you a resource to use if problems emerge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your ped may be right that two is too young to diagnose Asperger's, but that doesn't mean that you have to just sit around and wait. You can start addressing the symptoms right now! I would start with a good speech/language evaluation, with the goal of improving pragmatic language/social skills. You can also get an OT evaluation, if that seems appropriate. Finally, establishing a relationship with a developmental pediatrician would give you a resource to use if problems emerge.

And the wait for many, esp. dev. ped. is long. Establish relationships now (which will be 9-12 months in some cases due to wait) so that you have them in place if needed.

[Anonymous]

we got our first deve ped eval at age 2. you should definitely pursue. also, there are social skills classes and other kinds of classes that you can take dd to, in order to "test" her social skills. even preschool.

[Anonymous]

NO, I don't think it's too early. In fact, I think it's a mistake on wait on a dx later because the most profound positive changes in the brain are possible between the years 0-4. Changes in the brain are permanent and can be made though various techniquest such as floortime, RDI, etc..

We saw Dr. Stanley Greenspan for DS. This man is a genius I tell you, Harvard Medical School and everything. Our appts with him are so eye opening. DS is a whole different child at 5 than he was when we first came to see Dr. Greenspan 1.4 yr ago. Yes, we were late in getting to Dr. Greenspan because we didn't know about him. He can probably dx your child more accurately than Kriegers. He's in Bethesda. Just google his name for his web site and his office number.

[Anonymous]

What is RDI?

[Anonymous]

It's not too early. Get more information. Most peds know nothing about Asbergers, and will tell you to wait and see. Don't. Get help and start therapy now. Search on the internet, yahoo groups, as many sources of information as you can. Go to the library and read. The faster you get help for your child, the sooner she will be better. Best of luck to you.

[Anonymous]

oops, meant to write Aspergers.

[Anonymous]

meant Asperger's. brain freeze.

[Anonymous]

OP, are you in a county that has preschool intervention services (ChildFind)? If so, I suggest going to them. You may be able to receive services through your public schools for your daughter. This was invaluable to us when we went through it.

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm wondering why you suspect aspergers rather than autism? The hand flapping is not as prevalent in aspergers kids. Aspergers kids usually are very very gifted in language/speech, are extremely social with adults, but cannot connect with peers. Just a thought, but I'd agree, get a thorough eval from a developmental ped (NOT JUST YOUR REGULAR PED)

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks everyone for your responses...we've started the process of getting in to see a specialist and I already feel good about it. To the PP, autism was never a concern as she never showed any symptoms. She's very verbal (starting to read at 24 months which is another cause for concern), good with adults, fairly affectionate, etc, etc. I am really familiar with Asperger's and more specifically with my brother's case and she really is a carbon copy of him in so many ways.

[Anonymous]

OP, what do you mean by "severe social awkwardness"?
And what do the odd body movements and postures look like? I'm just wondering because my 2 year old daughter does some unusual stuff in the group setting as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm wondering why you suspect aspergers rather than autism? The hand flapping is not as prevalent in aspergers kids. Aspergers kids usually are very very gifted in language/speech, are extremely social with adults, but cannot connect with peers. Just a thought, but I'd agree, get a thorough eval from a developmental ped (NOT JUST YOUR REGULAR PED)

Some Aspies still do this, especially when they're quite young. And they may be gifted with some aspects of language and still have issues around the social and/or pragmatic portions. This should resolve somewhat with the assistance of a good SLP but early intervention is important. Just FYI.