who has children with ASD and AS and ADHD as well?

[JsMum]

Just wondering as I see quite a few parents here with children with ASD/AS and ADHD as well, if so what was picked up first the ADHD or the ASD/AS?

 

I am reading a lot of research that suggests ADHD is so similair to ASD and many AS children have ADHD as part of the diagnosis.

 

I dont know many ASD children who havent got ADHD.

 

Do you think its all part of the spectrum and the other night on TV they had a show about schools failing to pick up children with learning difficulties, many had Dyslexia but some of the children looked like they also had a spectrum as well is Dyslexia part of the ASD as well?

 

Some websites I am reading are classing most of the disorders named here, such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, ODD as ASDs.

 

Just wondered how common ADHD/DySlexia is with AS/ASD?

 

JsMum

[cmuir]

Hi

 

My son has an AS but is also suspected as having ADHD as well. 'Fraid it's not something that I have any knowledge about. Read a book on ADHD and was really surprised to see how similar both conditions are.

 

I'll be watching this post with interest.

 

Caroline.

[Platefull of Love]

My Eldest has ADHD & is severely dyslexic ,But he also has other difficulties ( sight & hearing ). I am mildly dyslexic ( you will probably notice any posts I have forgot to spellcheck ), & probably ADD. My Middle lad has AS & is highly likely to also have ADHD to.

Edited December 15, 2006 by Platefull of Love

[yoyo]

JsMum,

 

Was it the programme on BBC 1 on Wednesday night that you watched. I sort of have a foot in all camps for that as I teach in a prep school and have experience with dyslexia but I also have AS and there are many in my family on the spectrum to varying degrees. I agree that the two boys shown in this programme had more problems than simply dyslexia. One of them certainly showed every indication of having ADHD and the one that was privately assessed clearly had profound problems that were not diagnosed. His mother's description of his behaviour suggested that some degree of autism was present.

 

However, in answer to your question regarding AS plus ADHD, Dyslexia occurring together - the answer is yes, they are all linked and can occur together. In my teaching I have come across instances where AS, ADHD, dyscalculia, dyslexia etc were present. In our family AS seems to be the main problem, with dyslexia occuring in a mild form in my father, brother and ds1.

 

Yoyo

[chriss]

Sometimes my son (who has aspergers ) looks very much like he has ADHD. He literally bounces off the walls and never gets tired no matter how much he runs about. But other times he will sit quiet and read a book or watch Tv which is not typical of an ADHD child at all, so I find it all very confusing. It isn't dependant on what he has eaten either. I can guarantee he will be wild every day after school as he releases all the tensions of the day but as soon as he is given a Beano he will calm down completely.

[ksasnic]

Have been told by Autism outreach and a few consultants that generally they come in threes.. kids with AS have high chances of having ADHD/ADD and dispraxia as well ..

[ksasnic]

Chriss my son is like this too and he has been dx with Inattentive Attention Deficit Disorder.. He richochets of the walls at home, seems to have boundless energy and yet can sit down and watch a dvd quietly as you like... Autism outreach bloke who Nick sees sais thats normally the case that school doesn't see what the kids are like after school when they unwind from coping all day..

[trance]

Hiya

ADHD was picked up first with us but it was very severe that it overrode everything else. Once on meds his aspergers showed up more.

I find the conditions very different in my son and the problems we had were caused by not understanding his autism and putting it all down to his adhd whereas his asd problems have to be treated differently to his adhd, if that makes sense!!!

He was also thought of as having ODD but having recently been dx with the aspergers can now see that its not ODD but his aspergers being treated the wrong way leading to most of his frustration.

Personnaly I do find them very different in the ways they have to be approached but they are similar as in the circumstances our children are put into without being dx properly.

Behaviour issues can seem very similar as alot of these children are been treated as NT typical kids and alot cannot handle this and of course react with 'bad' behaviour.

Hope my ramblings here make sense!!!!!

xxxx

[marshmallow]

DS's ADHD was picked up first, and ASD traits were spotted then, but the ASD side of him has become alot more noticeable now that the ADHD side to him is under control, if that makes sense?

[noogsy]

hi my little boy has duel diagnosis of asd and adhd.i think because he has both it has helped him.he has had a lot of help from his school tons of funding.he has a aspergers teacher one to one for 7 hours a week.he is main stream and doing very well.we expect him to go to mainstream high school as his education has just about caught up with his peers.we think him having medication has been the best thing for him.as soon as he started on meds he started comunicating with us and his teachers.his writing improved dramatically.he stopped pushing people around.he is a diffrent boy.there is tons of ignorance about ADHD.ie poor parenting,bad diet blah blah blah.but of coase that is true of asd to.from what our specialist has says there can be a cross over.of ASD,ADHD,ODD,OCD,TICS. eating problems...and some others that my brain has forgoten.it is all very intresting.... love noogsy

[carrieq]

DS dx with ADHD first then 8 mths later AS. He is also severely dyslexic and has speech difficulties.

 

Heard Lorna Wing speak back in March this year and she said that all children dx with ADHD should be assessed for ASD.

 

Carrie

[pingu]

Hi. Yes i wouold agree that AS and ADHD go hand in hand. In our case anyway, No firm diagnosis yet, and i doubt there ever will be. as everyone who can make these decisions tell me his hyperactivity is part of the AS, its almost like they are scared to admit that he has a seperate problem, but they want to try living with him sometimes.

 

Take care

x

Edited December 15, 2006 by pingu

[UltraMum]

DS's ADHD was picked up first, and ASD traits were spotted then, but the ASD side of him has become alot more noticeable now that the ADHD side to him is under control, if that makes sense?

 

Exactly the same here - it wasn't until the hyperactivity was under control that it became obvious that there was 'something' else ... then we got a dyspraxia diagnosis finally topped off with HFA. J's present consultant said if the ASD had been dignosed first then the ADHD diagnosis wouldn't have been given as it was seen as a co-morbid condition

[JsMum]

wow what wonderful replys, the problem in my area is that the specialist for ADHD isnt really specialised in Autism and all he did for an assessment into Autism is ask 10 questions that really didnt make sence at the time and it came out J couldnt have autism.

 

but now I do understand the questions and he scores different, also as he isnt medicated for his ADHD he doesnt see this specialist in ADHD any more, he has recently seen a peadatrition who has said he has Aspergers Syndrome and has referred him to a specialist centre, our local PCT has changed its remit and so its taking time to get the PCT to have their meetings and give the OK for the assessment so J can have a full assement and be possibly diagnosed with AS or on the Spectrum.

 

Its very frustrating as his school and dietiation all agree J has Aspergers but until its in black and white and diagnosed he goes undiagnosed and doesnt recieve the support as a child with AS as well, I know his ODD is not ODD but undiagnosed AS now, the only thing that made me think it wasnt AS was because of his Speech and Language but he has all his speech now but struggles with understanding language.

 

I am reading a an excellent book called martian in the playground and its like wow, and its reeling loads of similair issues going on for J, except because of his ADHD somethings are different for J but their is things that are exact.

 

As J gets older and socialies more I notice a lot more sutle differences, and he withdraws and isolates when his freinds want to play with his toys, its like J cant get involved like he can when they are when he is wrestling or jumping on the trampoline or even fighting, but actually playing with his toys he doesnt.

 

Yes it was the bbc tv show, and I just so saw AS in one child, the one who had a reading age of 16 but he was 11 and had dyslexia, the other who had traits of ADHD and the boy who wasnt in school, bless him, so let down, he had many different problems as well as General Learning difficulties.

 

Also J is almost exact the same with his ADHD that he is charged when he gets home from school but there is also nights where he is withdrawn, isolates himself and very subdude, and that is what confuses me, when he is like this, its not long before we know there has been an incedent at school.

 

The withdrawal has been a long term issue and in his notes from early days but he is also very explosive and so again like some of you a bit confused.

 

JsMum

[jlp]

My son is currently being assessed for ADHD (we have an appointment on Tuesday to discuss the Connors scores) and already has AS / HFA which was diagnosed at almost 5.

 

I'm not quite sure how AS with ADHD differs from AS by itself (it's been interesting reading other replies to this post) - G can be really hyper and silly but can also be calm.

[jools]

dyspraxia was dx about 3 years ago. then this summer asd was dx.

he hasn't been dx add but we were offered medication for his poor attention!

we finally agreed after much sole searching and its the best thing we could have done for him.

he is a different child as far as his attention is concerned although his asd is more apparant to us

[stressedmumto2]

My son was initally dx with ADHD and the paeditrician at 5 thought he had AS traits.

 

We went to Guys he was dx with severe adhd, social and emotional impairment of ASD, and some ODD however she said had she been able to assess him properly he would of had a dx of ADHD and ASD. So now i'm a bit confused......

 

I've recently had him assessed privatly by an education physcologist who's also said he is dyslexic.

 

I think they have to dx the thing that is most apparent at that time, that's why my son has always had the ADHD as the primary diagnosis

 

Tomorrow we are having a speach and language assessment so we hopefully will have more of an idea of what his problems are.

 

The things is what I see other people don't see as he hides alot of his anxieties with others and only shows them with me. At one time of his behaviour being horrendous, it appeared to me he was so much ASD but now a change in his meds and at times he is like any other child, the obsessional, sensory, lack of empathy seems to have been reduced a great deal as with the number of meltdowns he was having.

 

What could be the main cause in this, medication or that he's now out of school so many of the issues are not their anymore

[butterfingersbimbo]

El was dx with ASD when she was four, although they never made it official cos they didnt want to label her

 

then when she was eight she was re-assessed and dx with ADHD and Dyspraxia too......

 

I always thought she was ADHD cos she was full on manic from about nine months!!!!

 

I think it is very important to get each condition recognised, although there are similarities, they are not the same and if they go unrecognised then your child is unlikely to get the proper support they need!

[minerva]

Sometimes my son (who has aspergers ) looks very much like he has ADHD. He literally bounces off the walls and never gets tired no matter how much he runs about. But other times he will sit quiet and read a book or watch Tv which is not typical of an ADHD child at all, so I find it all very confusing.

 

I had the same problem over the years. Eventually I read a lot into the ADHD & after reading lots of rubbish i found something that actually made sense so i kinda stick to it.

 

There is a Dr in the US that has researched ADHD to the extreme and his result was:

 

Whereas other difficulties (ranging from dyslexia to asd's) can appear with ADHD, ADHD rarely if ever appears without another difficulty. He has concluded that ADHD is itself a symptom of the other learning difficulty.

 

i.e A child with Dyslexia attends school and their difficulties go unrecognised for years. In the meantime frustration etc build up & the child shows ADHD characteristics.

 

They have tried to tell me on numerous occasions that my son has ADHD but I have refused to accept that as a diagnosis which it has since been proven that I am right as my son will also sit for hours reading or playing xbox 360 & the only time these characteristics show is when he is stressed about something etc.

 

Its just my opinion based on just one Dr's report but its the only one that made any sense to me

 

Nicke

[LizK]

Sometimes my son (who has aspergers ) looks very much like he has ADHD. He literally bounces off the walls and never gets tired no matter how much he runs about. But other times he will sit quiet and read a book or watch Tv which is not typical of an ADHD child at all, so I find it all very confusing. It isn't dependant on what he has eaten either. I can guarantee he will be wild every day after school as he releases all the tensions of the day but as soon as he is given a Beano he will calm down completely.

 

My son was the same too, episodes of minimal concentration and hyperactivity but times when he could focus and concentrate. He was never givne a diagnosis of ADHD (too young for one thing) but described in his clinic letters as ASD with hyperactivity or motor restlessness. However since he has been off casein his hyperactivity has improved no end, he is still bouncy and can't concentrate as well as a typical child but the real peaks of hyperactivity have ceased and he can focus on things so much better. I've also come to realise that some of his hyper behaviour is actually sensory in origin either through sensory overload or sensory seeking as he is hyposensitive to various stimuli

 

In answer to the original question I do think ASD, ADHD, SPLD, dyspraxia, dyslexia , SID are all related. Neighbouring parts of the brain are affected in these various conditions so it makes sense. Whilst you can be dyspraxia, dyslexic or hyperactive without being autistic but I think an autistic child is extremely likely to have these as part of their autism. If I was being pedantic my son has ASD, SPLD, dyspraxia, SID, hyperactivity but I see them as all part of being on the autistic spectrum describing the various symptoms of his autism so say he has ASD rather than a whole string of letters describing him LOL! I think there is a massive crossover between ADHD and ASD and something like 70-80% of children with ADHD will have a comorbid diagnosis

 

Lx

[butterfingersbimbo]

our paed told us that he would love to see children with a dx of "just adhd" cos it would be a doddle....he said out of all his patients there is only one such child!!!

 

don't make the mistake of thinking that if your child can really concentrate on something they are very interested in then they can't have adhd......its common for people with ADHD to hyper-focus on things they are into, which is why they can sit and play playstation for hours if they get the opportunity.....it also means that they can spend far too long doing one thing and end up not getting other things done......if you see what i mean!

[tighna]

Not sure about children, but I have Aspergers, ADHD and Dyspraxia.

 

I find that the AS and the ADHD sometimes conflict - I focus on stuff to the detriment of what I should be doing, but my ADHD wants me to get bored and fidget. Can't win really.

 

The Dyspraxia and the ADHD combined can cause me physical injury, since I have very little hand/eye coordination, and when I am hyper, I am likely to bump into things, often resulting in broken toes, bruised/cracked ribs, twisted ankles, and the like.

 

Out of all of them, it is the ADHD that I dislike the most. I can live with being an Aspie, no problem, and the Dyspraxia is a pain (sometimes literally) but the ADHD is a big problem in life.

 

mark

[claire33]

Not sure about children, but I have Aspergers, ADHD and Dyspraxia.

 

I find that the AS and the ADHD sometimes conflict - I focus on stuff to the detriment of what I should be doing, but my ADHD wants me to get bored and fidget. Can't win really.

 

The Dyspraxia and the ADHD combined can cause me physical injury, since I have very little hand/eye coordination, and when I am hyper, I am likely to bump into things, often resulting in broken toes, bruised/cracked ribs, twisted ankles, and the like.

 

Out of all of them, it is the ADHD that I dislike the most. I can live with being an Aspie, no problem, and the Dyspraxia is a pain (sometimes literally) but the ADHD is a big problem in life.

 

mark

 

Hi mark

 

just wanted to say that what you have just said above has gave me quite an insight into how my k must feel (son age 6 yrs) although it was short you made a really good point which has helped me to understand that little bit more.

my k has ADHD and is waiting asses asd along with other problems yet because hes only 6 i find it hard to understand what he must go through even thoogh ive looked up so many things to do with as and other things, as hes not very good at holding a conversation or explaining things to me most of the time i have to guess which i find most of the time i am usually wrong , however i suppose you learn from your mistakes

so anyway just wanted to say thanx!!!

[loulou]

Hi,

 

Kai is 8 and has ADHD and AS. He was dx with ADHD at 6 and ASD at almost 7. He probably has dyslexia too, but has no formal dx yet. I definately think all of these things are linked in some way, but i can see the differences. Kai's paed said that having the two together can be an "explosive mix", which i kind of agree with. I think the two things can conflict each other (as Mark said) and must be so frustrating.

 

Loulou x

[JsMum]

J gets very frustrated a lot, we have had to help him the most with this as this what triggers his anger and temper, we have nearly got their with a number of things in place to help him.

 

In his report from his ed psych, he talked a lot about J been very physical with the children and how he couldnt cope in the classroom in groups due to having to share the pencil crayons, he would keep them all and not share them, he would explode in the end they had two sets on his table as they had tried a varitety of ways to get J to understand to share, but he was loosing it if one of the children had a certan colour he needed and he couldnt wait, so in the end they offered his table another set.

 

Again the ed spych mentioned the word " frustrated" a lot, and he did put a lot of his difficulties on frustration at that point he was five, and went onto school action plus, so he went on a bit longer struggling with his frustrations, now he has a statement and in a different school and he is not as frustrated and if he is they understand he has ADHD and suspected ASD.

 

So a child can have a lot less frustration if they are supported and understood.

 

JsMum

[butterfingersbimbo]

hi mark! thanks for that! I often wonder which el finds the hardest to deal with......she has often said she hates her adhd, especially cos of the impulsiveness....

[Tylers-mum]

My son has both ASD and ADHD. The ASD was picked up first and then the ADHD but only after me fighting for 5yrs saying he was both ASD and ADHD and the docs not believing me.

[Lindyloo]

Sorry for the late reply - I have only just seen this one. This is a subject very close to my own heart.

 

Luke was disagnised with ADHD when he was 5. It was not until he was on medication to control the ADHD thet tha ASD symptoms started to be more obvious. It has taken us 18 months of pushing, and the 'professionals' who were monitoring the ADHD have finally acknowledged the autistic traits and agreed to do further assesments for an ASD.

 

I have also read a lot of stuff recently about how ADHD is being seen more as a symptom of other conditions rather than a condition in it's own right. It's just that the ADHD bit is so prenounced it can mask any other problems.

 

Linda

[Faithnomore]

DS1 was DX with ADHD at 7 1/2, but I always knew there was more to it than that but I seemed to be ignored and told it's probably down to his ADHD. I have been writing down all his odd behaviours and things that cause problems and presented it to the psychologist today,he said DS1 has an ASD probably AS(as I suspected)but will need test to confirm. At last I've got somewhere and DS1 will get the help he needs. I deregistered him from school after 5 weeks at secondary as he couldn't cope and they refused to help him(. Now I know why he couldn't cope we can work together to get him into a school that will help him. I now feel confident that we can help with his problems and we can understand why he behaves the way he does. I feel like the years of fighting are finally over!!