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cinders

Hello.........I'm new!

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Hi!

I'm Cath, I'm 37, married to Tony and have 2 sons, Anthony aged 9 and Christopher aged 8 and we are at the end of the line with Chrstopher.........and I've came to the conclusion that something is just not right with him.

I think I've prob had my suspicions for a few years now - the way he behaves in public - staring at people, speaking out of turn, talking loudly, I can't take him into a supermarket - it's an embarrassing nightmare, and at home, bouncing around the living room, inability to sit still - and he just does all this weird stuff.

He remembers every last detail of EVERYTHING, and beomes completely engrossed in topics - at the moment it's George Washington and the history of the USA (He's 8........go figure!) But at the same time he has very little concetration and cannot watch Tv for longer than 5 minutes.

There is usually an incident every day - involves much crying and shouting - way beyond what an 8 year old would be doing.

 

Then there are times when he is completely unaware of what's going on around him - I was told of an incident in school, when someone stole his shoes - and he didn't realise they were being mean to him. He thought it was funny! At Christmas he ran onto the road without looking - almost got hit by a car. Then two days later he did the EXACT same thing - same road, same spot. He has no perception of danger.

 

He's losing interest in his school work fast - his handwriting is really bad, and is looking for a day off school at every given opportunity. He has little in the way of friends at school - I suspect he plays on his own - and the friends he had in the early days - Primary 1,2 etc he doesn't play with now.

 

Anyway, after much reading books, googling for answers etc......I've came to the conclusion that he may have Aspergers. I need to know what my next step should be - the school?? or our GP?? I know that whoever I speak to first - I'll get upset, because it's heartbreaking to watch him. He's such a pleasant boy - and when he's in a one to one with someone he's not too bad.

 

So, hello again....................any help and suggestions greatly appreciated!!

 

Cath :(

Edited by cinders

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Hi cinders, and welcome to the forum :)

 

I'm sure many here would recognise the kinds of things you're describing, and they are certainly 'asd' type traits. That said, there are many, many other conditions (dyspraxia & ADHD come immediately to mind) that present in these ways other than AS/ASD, so you really need to get to someone who can assess the whole package, as it were...

Certainly the place to start is with your GP, who can refer you to local specialists for further investigation... GP's can be very dismissive, so arm yourself with lots of notes detailing specific behaviours/problems rather than a general overview of what you see. If other people see the difficulties he's having (school etc) ask them to keep notes and take them with you too, or ask more specifically if the things they see compare to anything they've seen before. While they certainly shouldn't be making diagnostic suggestions, their input could be very valuable in getting the ball rolling...

 

Hope that'#s helpful

 

L&P

 

BD :D

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Hi Cath,

 

Welcome to the forum! :)

 

The road to diagnosis is often a long one: it helps to have a supportive GP and school who will listen to your concerns, so as BD says, keep noting the evidence of your son's difficulties, and reading as much as you can about ASD and related conditions.

 

It is tough for a parent, no one wants to view their child as a collection of "problems" and "signs", and he is still your unique son who you love, but ultimately, what you want is clear recognition of his difficulties so that he can get the help he needs.

 

Lots of support available here - you'll find you're not alone,

 

K x

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Hello Cath and a warm welcome to the forum, I am sure you'll find lots of support & advice here.

I hope you manage to get some answers soon.

 

Clare x x x

Edited by Clare63

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Hi Cath and welcome to the forum :)

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Hey Cath,

nice to 'meet' you! I can't really add anything re advice on starting diagnosis, as Baddad has pretty much covered it, but I do hope you manage to get somewhere with your GP.

And in the meantime, as so many have said, you can come here for a bit of support and advice.

Esther x

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Hi and a warm welcome,

 

I totally identify with what you have said especially on subjects J loves america too, planning it to a T to go one day.

 

I would ask your GP for a referral for an assessment in ADHD and Autism especially Aspergers Syndrome, I would write down key issues that you have described here and share them with your GP, and give him a summary of your concerns in writing so that your concerns are in your sons medical record.

 

I would keep a diary and start to visist some parent support groups spersific to the difficulties your son is struggling with, so a ADHD parent support group, a Aspergers Syndrome Parent support and Autistic spectrum disorder/autism support group.

 

Books on these for further reading

 

I used thes places for further information and they sent me more information in booklets and websites.

 

National Autistic Society

 

These will have further advice on Assessment and what Aspergers Syndrome is.

 

Contact A family.

 

for me they have been fantastic and they have a helpline when things are really hard to cope with too, many times I used these, in some parts of the UK they have family support workers too there information is excellent.

 

ADDISS

 

Information on ADHD and comorbids.

 

Dyslexia Action

Support on litracey and learning difficulties

 

 

Dyspraxia foundation.

Co ordination and physical movement difficulties.

 

 

I know that once I started to read more information my sons difficulties where not as frightening and I started to use differnent methods that helped both of us, we are still having our problems but I am much better at getting the right information and support.

 

I really hope that you start to find answers and that soon things will make sence.

 

JsMum

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Thanks everyone for the VERY WARM welcome......

 

I have taken the first steps - got appointments with the GP and at the school for next week.

I'm starting a diary this weekend......think this will help me pinpoint problem areas for speaking to the GP.

 

Will let you know how I get on. :)

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