Does my 6 year old have Aspergers, Would love some opinions
Hi All,
This is my first time posting and I would love some opinions.
My son turned six in December there, he is a happy healthy wee boy for the most part. He was born 16 weeks premature and due to ROP has visual problems (prescription is -13 in both eyes)
He is a really active little boy, never sits still, even when watching TV he prefers to stand. He can sometimes be badly behaved, not hitting or hurting anyone, just inability to focus and pay attention. He is bad at reading social cues and does not meet your eye when speaking. He is really bright with a phenomenal memory and the ability to understand complex ideas. He is a great reader, great at Maths but a poor writer. As a child he had a hard time distinguishing fantasy with reality he would insist on being called Ben 10 for example, once this was explained to him he stopped. He loves certain things, sleeps with the same teddy, but can have his routines changed to an extent. He is very affectionate and will always cuddle and tell you he loves you unprompted and has a lot of empathy.
He plays with other kids but doesn't seem to need to, he can be very stubborn about getting his own way. He has an american accent and has had this since he started speaking, his language skills are excellent. He is very sensitive to loud noises and explains tastes as feeling (if he eats something spicy he will describe it as sore on my tongue) He gets very attached to things and is very resistant to those changing, (he actually burst into tears when my mum painted her kitchen walls)
His eyes have now started wandering, he is unaware that he is even doing it so now as well as not making eye contact, his eyes roll to the side unconsciously.
Are any of these symptoms sounding familiar to anyone?
Re: Does my 6 year old have Aspergers, Would love some opinions
Hi there,
agree that you should get him assessed. My 4 year old was diagnosed with ASD aged 2 (too young IMHO!) and shares some of those behaviours, though not all. He is hyperactive and bounces up and down on the spot often, even when watching TV. He is very rigid in his thinking - everything must be done his way, from the order in which people walk down the stairs to insisting that he turns the light on in the bathroom, or turning the TV off. If it doesn't happen his way he goes into melt down and can be very upset for an hour or more unless we go back and make things happen the 'right' way.
He is very affectionate too, which I am so pleased about, and is well behaved at nursery. We are not pursuing a statement for him since he is developing really well and is clearly intelligent, with excellent language skills. He can be very badly behaved with us, his parents. He doesn't listen to instructions and does whatever he chooses and when he is told off, he shouts back in an aggressive way (making us look like bad parents!). Going out in public to the shops or restaurants is a gamble. If he's having a good day he's just like the other kids. If it's a bad day we end up carrying him whilst he thrashes around because he's not able to do something like operate the automatic doors of the shop over and over.
All in all I think we've adapted to his 'ways', and manage him well, but from the outside looking in I think people would think that he's very demanding. There is lots of help if you get a diagnosis, so you've nothing to lose.
