How do I get assessed for Aspergers?

[Honey-pie]

Hi guys

 

I am new to this forum as I am deperately seeking some answers from somewhere. I'll briefly start at th beginning.

 

K is 5 in October and before she started pre-school (when she was 3) she couldn't speak, so we went through the channels and basically for the last 18 months or so we have been receiving speech therapy and occupational therapy. She has vaguely been diagnosed with having "speech and language development delay" and that was after pushing for this.

 

We were discharged from the children's centre we were under at Xmas and basically there are significant improvements with K's speech and development BUT there is still something missing.

 

As you all did I expect I have trawled the internet in the hope of some answers to my many questions.

 

I dont think she has ASD but I see so many traits with aspergers. She is highly intelligent with numbers and letters in particular. She loves routine but with an explanation we can break this although tantrums have been coming more intense over the couple of weeks, I have read loads on meltdown recently.

 

What do you guys think?

 

Honey-pie

[bid]

Well, if she is on the autistic spectrum, and she had a significent language delay, she would probably get a dx of HFA or ASD rather than Aspergers.

 

See here for more discussion about the two diagnoses:

 

http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/index.ph...p;hl=difference

 

HTH

 

Bid

Edited June 17, 2008 by bid

[Honey-pie]

God this is complicated. I think my first port of call is back to the children's centre for another assessment, dont you?

[bid]

Sounds like a good idea!

 

Keep a sort of diary of things she does, etc, to take with you to show the paed.

 

Good luck

 

Bid

[Honey-pie]

Yes thanks. I had started that this week because of the tantrums to see when they occured.

 

:-)

[Tally]

Hello, and welcome to the forum.

 

What you need is a referral to someone experienced in autism and Asperger's.

 

I don't know how much you know so far, but autism is called a "spectrum" condition, because it can present on so many different ways. Asperger's is part of the autistic spectrum. Often, once speech develops, there is little difference between a person diagnosed with Asperger's and a person diagnosed with autism.

 

I am diagnosed with Asperger's, but I have met people diagnosed with autism who seem to cope much better than me, and people diagnosed with Asperger's who seem to struggle so much more. And then some people do better in some areas and struggle more in others.

 

So please don't be scared of the word "autism."

 

If you like reading, I would recommend The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome by Tony Attwood. It is relevant to both Asperger's and High-Functioning autism. It will give you a good idea what it's all about and you can see whether autism would explain your daughter's problems, and could also suggest some techniques that might help.

[Honey-pie]

Hi Tally

 

Thanks for your comments. I'm not frightened by this at all, I just need to know if there is something wrong so that I can understand and try and help K.

 

Austim, dyspaxia etc have all been batted about but because she is so young, they tell me, they are loathed to diagnose. I really had to push to want to know why K has these speech problems and was told that it was a speech and language delay.

 

This has really come about again because of the tantrums she has been having of late. I know within the spectrum is it referred to as meltdown. I just dont know what to do to help her when she is like this, she is getting older and bigger and stronger and I know it is wrong to get cross with her. I just want help from someone (god knows who) in how to deal with these. I would willingly attend and parenting group I could who could help me understand and help K when she is like this. She breaks my heart!!

 

She is starting main stream school this September and as we have been discharged from the childrens centre I suppose I feel a bit lost. They wouldnt statement her so I supose I am a bit worried about her going to school. She of course doesnt mind at all, saying that not sure she quite understands what I mean when I talk about big school.

 

Pre-school tell me she is perfectly behaved there and does not have any of these tantrums/meltdowns.

 

Thanks for referring that book to me, I am off out to buy it today.

 

Honey-pie