Reply to HFA/ autism 17 year old

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Reply to "HFA/ autism 17 year old"

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[quote=Anonymous]OP,

First off, we all know what you mean when you say Aspergers from a cultural perspective.  There are a couple of pieces to this pie, so from what I gather...

--Over the years, you've had concerns about your kid and that's why you pursued testing for either academic and/or social issues, e.g., not fitting in at school.

--Is he aware of his current diagnosis?  Are you guys able to have discussions about his difficulties in school or socially?

--It sounds like he's socially motivated.  However, so are many kids on the spectrum--they are just not able to express these desires as readily as others.  ADHD and anxiety often go together with ASD too.

--Many people with ADHD and/or LDs have the same social difficulties as kids on the spectrum.  They often miss social cues and they have difficulty with managing their emotions (AKA regulation) as well as can be intractable or rigid.

--My kid goes to a SN school and parents are encouraged to talk with their kids about how their brains work differently.  These are small conversations over time.  As kids get older, they're able to tell you about X, Y, Z and how that affected them when they were little and how certain things academically are hard.

--So if there are lingering questions, it would be probably be beneficial to do a neuropsychological evaluation by a psychologist.  This is especially important if he's college bound.  I don't see this as a "devastating" reveal if he in fact is on the spectrum.  He probably already knows he feels different and is having difficulty connecting.  Information can help him play to his strengths.  Plus, there may be college level programs where you are living that can assist him with executive functioning skills regardless of the cause--from being  on the spectrum and/or ADHD.

--Lastly, I think a HUGE question as to whether or not he lives on campus needs to be about daily living skills.  Yes, most kids starting college don't know how to do their laundry b/c someone always did that for them.  But can your kid, get himself out of bed, shower, dress, and make it to school on time most days?  Does he know how to manage his time and have good work habits?  At 17 if your standing over him every day hounding him to start homework, college will be challenging on more than a social level.  [/quote]

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