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Post by jumperhop on Jun 15, 2015 22:16:35 GMT
My 10 year old son was diagnosed with ADD today. I am not sure you can even call it a diagnosis at this point, with just one Dr's apt. The Dr said his teachers evaluation and mine were identical. Which was a huge sigh of relief for me that I was on the right track helping my son. The Doctor gave me a referral to the Children's Village in town with a 6-9 month wait for further testing. In the mean time he put DS on a very low dose medicine. And said we would start monitoring him.
From what I had read I thought he leaned more towards highly functioning Autistic Spectrum. The Dr assured me that Kyle was not on spectrum because he wants to be social and has his feelings hurt when he is not included or someone makes fun of him. Does this sound right? I thought you could still be on the spectrum and recognize when someone makes fun of you, desire friends etc...
What should I expect from further testing? I need help learning how to be his Mom.
Yes, I know all about the ADD is highly over diagnosed debate this is not one of them.
Jen
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Post by lancermom on Jun 15, 2015 22:20:20 GMT
Sounds same with my son. I thought autism spectrum, but ADD instead. He has a lot of other things going on too.
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stittsygirl
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Post by stittsygirl on Jun 15, 2015 22:48:05 GMT
My son is on the spectrum, also 10, but diagnosed at four by a child psychiatrist. He wants to fit in, have friends, and can have his feelings hurt if he feels excluded or snubbed. I've never heard that a child couldn't be considered autistic if they wanted to be social, or could have their feelings hurt? My son is extremely sensitive and perceptive. For him, his biggest social issues are not being able to recognize appropriate boundaries, including personal space, as well as seeing everything in black and white. He has a hard time recognizing things like sarcasm and irony, and getting jokes. He's also prone to melt-downs and crying over things that might not bother another child, though that has become better as he's getting older. But all of it can be alienating to his peers. Combined with ADHD, it makes social interaction very tough for him sometimes. He's had some amazing teachers though, who have been able to guide him and his classmates through rough patches, and have made sure he's included as much as possible, while also recognizing that sometimes he just needs to work alone. We've been very lucky in that respect.
My son takes Intuniv for his ADHD, which has worked really well for him. I'm not sure if it's used for ADD though. Good luck to you and your son though, I know the waiting and wondering can be tough.
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Post by jumperhop on Jun 15, 2015 22:56:02 GMT
My son is on the spectrum, also 10, but diagnosed at four by a child psychiatrist. He wants to fit in, have friends, and can have his feelings hurt if he feels excluded or snubbed. I've never heard that a child couldn't be considered autistic if they wanted to be social, or could have their feelings hurt? My son is extremely sensitive and perceptive. For him, his biggest social issues are not being able to recognize appropriate boundaries, including personal space, as well as seeing everything in black and white. He has a hard time recognizing things like sarcasm and irony, and getting jokes. He's also prone to melt-downs and crying over things that might not bother another child, though that has become better as he's getting older. But all of it can be alienating to his peers. Combined with ADHD, it makes social interaction very tough for him sometimes. He's had some amazing teachers though, who have been able to guide him and his classmates through rough patches, and have made sure he's included as much as possible, while also recognizing that sometimes he just needs to work alone. We've been very lucky in that respect. My son takes Intuniv for his ADHD, which has worked really well for him. I'm not sure if it's used for ADD though. Good luck to you and your son though, I know the waiting and wondering can be tough. You just described my son to a T. Thanks for sharing, Jen |
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Post by cyndijane on Jun 16, 2015 0:31:06 GMT
My son is on the spectrum, also 10, but diagnosed at four by a child psychiatrist. He wants to fit in, have friends, and can have his feelings hurt if he feels excluded or snubbed. I've never heard that a child couldn't be considered autistic if they wanted to be social, or could have their feelings hurt? My son is extremely sensitive and perceptive. For him, his biggest social issues are not being able to recognize appropriate boundaries, including personal space, as well as seeing everything in black and white. He has a hard time recognizing things like sarcasm and irony, and getting jokes. He's also prone to melt-downs and crying over things that might not bother another child, though that has become better as he's getting older. But all of it can be alienating to his peers. This is my son exactly, and he has HFASD. |
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Post by roxley on Jun 16, 2015 0:49:06 GMT
I was an elementary counselor for 14 years. The students with highly functioning autism or aspergers WANTED to make friends, but had social difficulties doing so. The kids who had ADD were able to make friends (although with bad behavior sometimes couldn't keep them  We had many kids who were first diagnosed with ADD, then as they got older (5th - 6th grade) it was changed to some form of autism. Many students with more severe autism had less interest in friends. |
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kate
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Post by kate on Jun 16, 2015 1:06:11 GMT
The students with highly functioning autism or aspergers WANTED to make friends, but had social difficulties doing so. The kids who had ADD were able to make friends (although with bad behavior sometimes couldn't keep them What a great, succinct description!
Interestingly, some of my DS's more spectrum-y behaviors are helped by the ADHD meds. With them, he is better able to pay attention to social cues (not that he "gets" everything, but it's much better). He is better able to control his impulsivity, which means his incessant talking/interrupting is curbed, and it's possible to converse with him about something other than his obsession du jour. LOL
You are not at all alone. Feel free to PM me any time.
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Deleted
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May 18, 2024 4:15:42 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2015 1:20:03 GMT
My daughter was diagnosed with high functioning Autism in 4th grade with ADHD tendencies. She is social (very, very, very social!) and she doesn't like her feelings hurt.
Her problems in social settings is talking loudly, getting close to other people, and not realizing other people's reaction to her behavior. She does want friends, but is content with 1 or 2 good friends. She goes 100% into what she loves, so she can be a little intense with her friends. Sometimes the relationship doesn't last long.
I would look into getting an ADOS test if you feel he is on the spectrum.
Everyone with Autism is different, but that's how my daughter behaves.
ETA: Yes! Everything is black and white and my daughter doesn't understand sarcasm. When she tries to be sarcastic it comes off as sounding really mean.
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Post by jumperhop on Jun 16, 2015 5:39:52 GMT
Thank you so much ladies, Everything thing that you said goes right along with every issue that I have been dealing with for the last two years. During his next apt in two weeks I will ask to read the teachers evaluation. To see if I can find anything that would align with my thoughts that he really has Autism. I cried my eyes out at the Dr's office today as he explained to me why he didn't think it was Autism. Part of me was relieved, while the other part of me knew it wasn't that easy and that I had failed, failed describing what issues we had, failed educating myself. I appreciate your experiences and your willingness to share your stories with me.
Thanks for sharing. Glad to know I am not along.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. You know my Mother intuition tells me it's high functioning autism. You helped reiterate my thoughts.
Feeling a little overwhelmed having to wait 6-9 Months for my next evaluation.
Yes, that is interesting. I had read that meds are not usually prescribed for specturm. I will try the med for two weeks. The Dr said not to expect any change. For a few weeks until we up his dosage.
As for the social cues, is that something that was Taught to him or just something that he was able to notice because of the meds?
Thank You!
Thank you, I am hung up on the fact that your DD doesn't understand sarcasm. I am so sarcastic. I am going to test Kyle and see his reaction.
Jen
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Jun 16, 2015 13:31:57 GMT
My son is on the spectrum, also 10, but diagnosed at four by a child psychiatrist. He wants to fit in, have friends, and can have his feelings hurt if he feels excluded or snubbed. I've never heard that a child couldn't be considered autistic if they wanted to be social, or could have their feelings hurt? My son is extremely sensitive and perceptive. For him, his biggest social issues are not being able to recognize appropriate boundaries, including personal space, as well as seeing everything in black and white. He has a hard time recognizing things like sarcasm and irony, and getting jokes. He's also prone to melt-downs and crying over things that might not bother another child, though that has become better as he's getting older. But all of it can be alienating to his peers. Combined with ADHD, it makes social interaction very tough for him sometimes. He's had some amazing teachers though, who have been able to guide him and his classmates through rough patches, and have made sure he's included as much as possible, while also recognizing that sometimes he just needs to work alone. We've been very lucky in that respect. My son takes Intuniv for his ADHD, which has worked really well for him. I'm not sure if it's used for ADD though. Good luck to you and your son though, I know the waiting and wondering can be tough. This very much describes my daughter. And after being diagnosed with every learning disability under the sun... finally in 4th grade she was diagnosed with a Non Verbal Learning Disability. Which is often co-morbid with Autism, the diagnosis and treatments can be very similar and often confused. These things also present differently in boys and girls. (though my daughter appears to present more like a boy!) Basically she has issues with reading other people's non-verbal clues.. and difficulty with pragmatic language. So sarcasm, irony, jokes often lost on her. She does not see the social clues when she is annoying someone. So all she see is the extreme reaction... so that is the reaction she knows. So she goes from fine to really angry in two seconds.. there is no building up. She has worked with a therapist and doing drama has really helped her. There she is learning how to express subtle emotions, and how to read others. One last thing I would say... remember you are the expert on your child! If what the doctor or any other expert says does not ring true to you.. push for more information. Sometimes ADD is the easy and the first answer.. ( I often wonder if it is the most misdiagnosed syndrome out there). |
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gsquaredmom
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Post by gsquaredmom on Jun 16, 2015 13:40:28 GMT
The threshold for autism diagnosis is much higher in the new DSM. I would not expect such a diagnosis to be made for your son at this point.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2015 14:49:26 GMT
Oh, forgot to add sometimes there are sensory issues. She HATES to hear whistling. I've never had her hearing tested, but I swear she has sonar! My daughter does not like to wear long sleeves. Some of her food aversions are because of the texture, not always the taste. ktdoesntscrap, theater has really helped my daughter as well. She struggles making friends with cast mates (or even getting along) and the downtime is usually the hardest thing. She does great with memorizing lines and doing the scenes. In her last play she improvised a line when something on stage didn't go quite right! |
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stittsygirl
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Post by stittsygirl on Jun 16, 2015 15:09:35 GMT
I appreciate the theater suggestions. My son hasn't had much opportunity to do any kind of plays in his current school, but hopefully that will change when he enters middle school. Or perhaps I'll look at community theater options in our new location. He might really enjoy that.
For those with the higher functioning ASD diagnoses, do your children stim at all? My son has never been a hand flapper, but he is a rocker - side to side while sitting, and back and forth on all fours when trying to sleep. He used to hum while he rocked, but doesn't anymore. He also always has a leg or foot moving, even when he's lightly sleeping.
He also has sensory issues, and loves to wear hoodies just so he can pull the hood up over his ears. His teachers have been good about allowing him to do that, but it may be something we have to include on his 504 in the future.
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Jun 16, 2015 18:59:26 GMT
Oh, forgot to add sometimes there are sensory issues. She HATES to hear whistling. I've never had her hearing tested, but I swear she has sonar! My daughter does not like to wear long sleeves. Some of her food aversions are because of the texture, not always the taste. ktdoesntscrap, theater has really helped my daughter as well. She struggles making friends with cast mates (or even getting along) and the downtime is usually the hardest thing. She does great with memorizing lines and doing the scenes. In her last play she improvised a line when something on stage didn't go quite right! My daughter has both hypo and hyper auditory issues. She remembers every thing she hears! She says her special talent is knowing song lyrics. She only has to hear a song once and she can remember all the words. She also has near perfect pitch... which probably comes from her ability to hear everything so acutely. The down side is in noisy environments or places where there is a lot of auditory stimulation she stresses out. When she was in Kindergarten she would often freak out when I dropped her off. It is only in hindsight that I realized when I would bring her into the playground and a bunch of kids would run up to her she would not know where to concentrate her hearing. I had just started back to work so I thought it was the separation. If only I had realized what it was.. I could have dropped her off in the class room instead of the play ground... what a difference that would have made for that year. Sometimes I don't think people actually believe me when I say she has NVLD, but when you really understand it... it makes so many things about my daughter make perfect sense. |
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We had many kids who were first diagnosed with ADD, then as they got older (5th - 6th grade) it was changed to some form of autism. 
