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Hi everyone What early signs of Aspergers did you first become aware of in your child? I would be really interested to hear other's experiences, especially if you are the parent of a child with a "late" diagnosis and are "looking back" with the experience of hindsight My ds is 17 and we are expecting a dx of AS in the next couple of weeks. Looking back I can remember things like: - arranging 3 bottles with green tops in a pattern with precise 120 degree angles between them. I was so proud of my clever 9 month old son. - knowing the name of every estate agent and recognising their different signs - he was 18 months old - lining up his cars in colour order on our window sill - Pokemon - the first time round - seperation anxiety - he cried every single time I left him at playgroup for two whole years but.... I soldiered on because I was told he needed to socialise - sitting by my feet at Mums & Tots and rarely moving - Other Mum's "He is shy, isn't he?" or "He is sooo quiet and well-behaved" Later on at Primary School I can remember very clearly: - the seperation agony of Reception year - ds being unable to do up his zip and his best friend, the little mother, doing it for him - the same packed lunch every day for years on end - trying out school dinners for exactly two weeks and then asking to go back on packed lunch because I told him that if he didn't like it after 2 weeks he could go back on packed lunch - struggling learning to tie shoelaces (we're still not much cop at 17 ) - desperate handwriting - excellent grades - 3 levels 5s in Year 6 - asking to change school in year 4 to go to a class where the children all followed the rules - this meant that the teacher wouldn't shout - struggling with swimming, football, rounders, riding a bike and so on - endless reports comments of "ds is a very quiet, shy, clever, well-behaved member of class" What pleased, proud parents we were - why oh why didn't we know what this meant? Didn't any member of staff guess or were thay just relieved that he was one less child to worry about. I spoke to his year 4 recently about ds and AS - she remembered him and said.... wait for it.... oh no, he was just shy..... If only she knew the pain awaiting him at secondary school but that's for another post.... Thx for reading - would love to hear other's experiences xx

Hi MrA Welcome. I am also new around here. We are in a very similar position in that I am also due to find out if my son, now 17, will be officially diagnosed as having AS. There are a lot of people around here with a lot of experience, everyone seems really helpful and supportive and I'm sure someone will be along soon. Good luck.

Just wanted to say a big, big, big thankyou to everyone for the lovely welcome

Tee hee I have been browsing all day - lapping it all up, like some poor starved creature

Hello everyone, I came across this forum by chance yesterday and couldn't believe my luck I have spent so long on my own and today I have been "I'm not on my own, I'm not on my own anymore" - you get the picture. You all seem so helpful and supportive - I have that many questions that I don't know where to start, I honestly don't, my head is just all over the place. I'll start by telling you a bit about us and our "journey" - it'll help put things in context and hopefully help me get my own thoughts straight My son, 17 is soooo close to diagnosis - it's so close we can almost touch it - the Ed Psych has said it will more than likely be AS. I know that diagnosis isn't everything and it won't solve our problems but at least it will give us a handle, an anchor, a starting point, a common meeting place to try to move forward. I have spent a lot of time blaming myself, thinking that I was a baaaddd Mum, that there was something in the way I had raised my son that had caused his "problems", caused his pain. I'm almost through this stage now, just have the odd niggle now and again that somehow I have failed / done something wrong. Looking back, if there was one thing I would wish differently it would have been for a greater awareness of Autism and AS . Of course whether or not I would have accepted that it was intrinsic within my family (both sides) is another issue altogether. Well I won't overload this first post - I am just relieved to have found you all - will post again later xx