Aspergers Disorder

My son started out as moderately autistic, then a neurologist rediagnosed him at age 8 as Asperger's. There is a wealth of information and misinformation out there. I recommend "Navigating the Social World" by Jeanne McAfee. It's a very adaptable workbook. Also, there is ROUTINES, and DIET, and reinforcement for what you are teaching (ie church, scouts) If you haven't heard of her, Flylady.net is a great help. By the way, I have information on my own page (farmerchick.com) that might help -- and my son is now "normal" at 13. It's a difficult road, but he's so worth it!

I would suggest having a biofeedback test done using Asyra technology and BioSET. There is an awesome Doctor of Oriental Medicine in the Denver area. His name is Dr. John Stebbins and his number is ###-###-####. His treatments are all non-invasive and completely safe. This would be a great supplement to the medical care your nephew is receiving.

I don't have any experience with this and this may seem like a dumb reply but on this season of the reality t.v. show, America's Next Top Model there is/was a contestant named, Heather, who had that exact diagnosis. She was just voted off last week but they re-run the show all the time.. She was wonderful and you could see that she had some struggles with social situations but other than that she seemed normal. Best wishes to you and your family!

I taught public school for a long time before staying home as a mom. I had a student with Asperger's and my observations were this:

very intelligent
the normal instinct on social behavior wasn't there
would work alone if allowed - I had to encourage working with others
had to encourage interaction during free time/play like outside
one of those kids who just seemed a little "odd" but not a big deal
other kids liked this child, it was the child who I had to push toward being with others

formal goals were: appropriate social behavior

It was a pleasure having this child and although I had the paperwork with the diagnosis - if I hadn't, I just would have thought the child was a little odd. Which a lot of kids are - they move to their own beat so to speak.

The ADHD is what will be hard to work with in terms of getting your nephew to stay on certain tasks. BUT it's doable, as you probably know yourself.

good luck!

One of my best friends has 2 children with Asperger's. They are quirky and totally fun! Their biggest handicap is social stuff. Other kids just don't "get" them. They don't have any understanding of humor because to them, everything is very literal. It is cute to see her now high schooler trying to make jokes. The good news is that she has found a tremendous amount of support in the Gilbert School District. They moved here from out of state when he was in 4th or 5th grade and immediately got help that wasn't available to them before through the school. He has had a personal aide every school year to help him and that has made a huge difference. He is excelling quite well at school now. Her other son is a 5th grader now I believe and is also doing quite well. She swears by Gilbert schools and I don't blame her. If you would like to contact her, email me personally and I will give you her contact info as I am sure she would be happy to talk to you or your nephew's mom. (____@____.com) While this disorder can be challenging, it is not the end of the world. These kids are well adjusted and are doing great! Good luck!

Hello,

I do not have personal experience with this, but do have an older friend who has raised a child with this syndrome. She is the very helpful sort and would probably be willing to speak directly to the parents of this child and those involved in his care. I will speak with her about this and how she would like to communicate if you would like to speak with her. Please let me know if there is a way outside this forum that you would like to communicate with her.

M.

Hello, I just got done having to do a report on Asperer's Syndrome (AS) and my step brother also suffers from this.

The ideal treatment for AS coordinates therapies that address the three core symptoms of the disorder: poor communication skills, obsessive or repetitive routines, and physical clumsiness. There is no single best treatment package for all children with AS, but most professionals agree that the earlier the intervention, the better.

Here is a web-site that might be helpful.
http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/disorders/asperger.shtml

I have a nine year old with both! It's been an uphill battle with him for several years. He was only diagnoised last year with Asperger's. He is treated at the Melmed center in Scottsdale. I'm still learning how to deal with these issues. We have implemented some strict rules for home and school that help keep him on track. He works well on a rewards system but he is not consistent with it yet. I feel for your sister. We didn't know what was wrong with our son for a long time and he was dubbed the "bad child" by his school. He isn't bad just unable to control his actions. Medication has helped to keep his focus during schoool. It will be a life long challenge. We hope to take him off the meds someday. He is very small for his age due to lack of desire to eat. I make sure he has high carbs everyday. Please email me at ____@____.com if you want further info.

I have a son who is six who is dx Aspergers. I have a 2 y/o dd who is dx with PDD-NOS (Also a form of Autism). I also have Aspergers. There is a lot of resorces out there for Asperger's kids. I have found a lot of support through my children's school district (they also have a high % of Autistic children). Anyway, I could talk forever on it.

I am a mother of two and a Nutritionist/herbalist. I studied ADHD and the FOOD MOOD Connection pretty extensively. Do some research on possible food allergies - especially gluten and dairy. Also look at possible heavy metal toxicity. Food colorings and additives/ preservatives are also common culprits. I have a practice in Boulder/ Nederland Colorado if you are interested in talking more...email me at ____@____.com luck!

My brother in law has Asperer's Disorder... it's a social disorder... Most who have it are VERY smart, but are lacking major social skills. They recently diagnosed him when they were testing his daughter for some disorders. Most with it are really good at memorizing facts and know everything there is to know about things they are interested in and will often tell you about it at the strangest times. They also are easily stressed and can go from perfectly fine to extremely upset in no time at all! My BIL is a Mechanical engineer and he works for NASA... all in all, if you are going to have a disorder, this is the one to have! :) It can cause real problems but they can over come them to where they are hardly noticeable to people around them. if you need more info, I would be happy to send you my sisters email address so you can hear from one who know more about the details! :) hope this helps!

Yes, I have a lot of experience with Asperger's Syndrome. My brother (21 years) has it, as does a 15-year-old dance student of mine. I am also a fourth grade teacher and have experience with students in the classroom with Asperger's. Please send me a personal email if you would like to learn more!

K.,
I have friends with children with Aspergers. One family has three with high levels of functionality. They do have problems with socialization but each child excels in music or academics as well as mechanical ability. Each child is different but all have problems with making friends and social graces. Some are set off by a persons name or personailty. It is not always easy as parenting is not.
C. B