WHAT A WASTE OF MY TIME

[karin]

I posted a while ago i had been to my gp who referred my twins to a paediatrician neurologist at xxx xxxx (name removed by moderator). hospital in oxford (hope im allowed to post the hosps name if not sorry) we waited an waited even looked up the specialist on a good website found out he had been practicing for over 30 years thought great we are getting somewhere at last only to be told today he will not see us as we are out of his district and have been referred back to the **** who wasted my time 2 years ago he saw my twins for 2 mins and told me they didn't have aspergers as they had to have learning difficulties i feel like im going round in circles they see his side kick on 15th of this month i know it will be a waste of time think i will just give up trying to get them diagnosed its round and round in circles im going and getting nowhere karin

Edited November 3, 2006 by nellie

[nellie]

Karin, <'> <'>

 

I'm really sorry to hear this, I know you have been struggling to get a diagnosis for some time. You are entitled to a second opinion. You could make an apointment with your GP and request a referral to someone qualified to give a diagnosis. If there's no one in your area he will have to refer out of area.

 

Hang on in there.

 

Nellie <'> <'>

[adamsmum]

I've been told yesterday by new pead that most peapl with aspergers dont have learning difficulties but some do. Thats why its taken years to get K DX as he had learning difficulties now thay find he hasent and say he's verry bright as you can see from my spelling he dosent get this from me . I think you should keep pushing to see somone else. Hope you can get it sorted out

[darky]

well my son has a dx of aspergers and has learning difficulties. grrr some people talk absolute rubbish.

[butterfingersbimbo]

help me i'm confused about the learning difficulties thing.......are people with AS supposed to have learning difficulties?

[darwin]

.........now thay find he hasent and say he's verry bright as you can see from my spelling he dosent get this from me...............

 

 

Spelling's got nothing to do with intelligence, Adamsmum; you always sound perfectly intelligent to me

[phasmid]

For crying out loud! Phas jr has a dx of AS and flew through his GCSE's this summer and is currently studying for his A levels so I think perhaps the first 'specialist' you saw is rather lacking in knowledge about ASDs.

[florrie]

Well I would say my son has what would be known as learning difficulties, as he has auditory processing difficulties, he found school very difficult, but he could play chess at 2 and was brilliant with numbers, but couldn't learn in the way school taught, but could do it if his learning style was accommodated, that was what I was trying to get help for him for but didn't succeed, which made things worse, and I believe made his as symptoms worse, when he is not so stressed the symptoms are barely noticeable although his difficulties with language are and interpretation of things, he has profound communication difficulties. I myself also had the opposite, hyperlexia,read fluently at 2 no obvious communication difficulties but when I had some tests done, they showed that I also had difficulties processing information which I affect my ability to communicate my needs wishes and feeling, I can communcate facts however. also I struggled with o levels due to my processing probs, but got a degree no problem.

 

What does a learning difficulty mean anyway, I thought it just meant a different way of learning to the norm, although that is probably specific learning difficuties which any asd kids have

[curra]

I'm with Florrie on this. My son learned to read and spell words by himself when he was 4 and is now teaching himself music, but he gets a lot of low marks at school because he refuses to answer in the way the teachers expect so he gets bad marks although he knows a lot. This has caused him enormous stress and school phobia. He doesn't have learning difficulties but he got a dx from a private psych, the pead and finally from CAHMS. There are lots of Aspies who have no learning difficulties and are experts in their field of interest, but they do not learn like NTs and can stay behind at school. Don't give up, ask your GP for a consultant who has experience with AS or ask a private psychologist.

 

Good luck!

 

Curra

[jomica]

What does a learning difficulty mean anyway, I thought it just meant a different way of learning to the norm, although that is probably specific learning difficuties which any asd kids have

 

I found this useful:

 

"Learning disability and learning difficulties are used in the US and sometimes elsewhere to denote educational problems of a specific nature, such as dyslexia. In Great Britain, the Department of Health adopted learning disability as the preferred alternative to mental handicap. However it has been argued that intellectual disability is a more accurate term. This is used by the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as in Australasia. However in the United Kingdom, moderate/severe learning difficulties is used as a legal term in the field of education." Prof. Roy Mc Conkey, (Chair of Learning Disability, University of Ulster)

 

Hope it's useful.

Edited November 5, 2006 by jomica

[TheNeil]

Learning difficulties and AS don't go hand in hand. In fact people with AS are supposed to have average or above average IQs (I must the exception that proves the rule) but just because you're AS doesn't mean that you'll be 'stupid' just as it doesn't mean that you'll be a 'genius'

 

As Curra and Florrie have said though, tapping into that AS 'intelligence' can be more hit and miss as mainstream education has neither the understanding, funding or time to discover the 'spark' that allows the AS mind to 'get it'. We're all different (and that applies to ND and NT) and we all learn in different ways but sadly if you're way of learning is too far from 'normal' then they seem to label you as having 'learning difficulties' and toss you on the scrapheap

 

In my case I know that if given a book about computer programming (for example) I simply won't get it but if left alone to 'play' for an hour or two then I'll end up knowing more about it than anyone (with the added bonus of not knowing any of the 'proper' terms or realising how 'difficult' it is)

[Karen A]

Hi I thought I would provide an explanation of the situation as I understand it.

A learning disability is a general difficulty in learning in all areas-Children with ASD may have a learning disability but may not have.Hence some children with Asperger syndrome do fine in accademic work with support for social skiils or organisation-or do not need help in school.

Specific learning difficulties are difficulties in particular areas Eg Dyslexia,DCD.Hence a child may be intelligent but have specific problems with writing,reading,maths or coordination.Some children with ASD also have these difficulties-but may be advanced in some areas and may be very intelligent.

Ben has specific learning difficulties[DCD].He also has social communication difficulties [ perhaps ASD].However he is very intelligent so does not have a learning disability.

Hope that makes things clearer rather than more confused. Karen