Asperger's in-person description

Mrs Smith

New Member
The other thing about a high functioning or borderline aspie is that the social problems aren't as apparent when they are younger because of the less complex nature of interactions. My son wasn't diagnosis until he was almost 13. But I think the real problem is language - specifically non-verbal language. The social stuff stems from that.

This is my son in a nutshell: He has always had friends and wants companionship but usually waits until someone seeks him out. He was well-liked by peers when he was younger and is not a behavior problem in school. He has exceptional eye contact, appropriate affect, is very affectionate, and can show empathy. He's most comfortable with people older or younger than him and one at a time. He's somewhat pedantic (speaks in a formal way), literal, has restricted interests and transitions very poorly. He has a hard time communicating his thoughts and feelings and becomes easily frustrated and judges himself harshly. There's no middle ground. He's extremely clumsy with very poor fine motor control (dressing, writing) but is a pretty good athlete. He has difficulty sleeping but wakes up immediately and mostly in a good mood. He was late to toilet train and still has occasional accidents. He will try any kind of food but is very picky with clothing and is both hyper and hyposensitive to sound and touch. He's average intelligence but is way behind in math. His favorite subject is science. He's active, impulsive, easily distracted by noise, and becomes very anxious in unfamiliar situations. Puberty brought moodiness and self-awareness in a negative way.

Don't know if that helps or confuses you but I think I would really look most closely at his language. Unfortunately, my son was tested many times for speech but only received services starting in 4th grade because they didn't look at pragmatics when they assessed him. I always knew there was a language problem, I just couldn't put my finger on what it was exactly.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
You can also have a Non-Verbal Learning Disability (I do). There is usually a big disparity between verbal IQ and performance IQ (my verbal IQ is almost 120 and my performance IQ is 85). These kids/adults sound extremely verbal and intelligent, but often can not tie their shoes (performance). Some experts feel that a NonVerbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) *is* Aspergers. Others feel that they are separate, although similar. I never got the AS diagnosis. because "your affect is too animated, you're too friendly). I've had a lot of trouble holding jobs. Although I can talk my way into getting hired due to high verbal skills, I have so much trouble multi-tasking that I even got fired from MacDonalds. I also have face blindness, another common symptom of Aspergers...but who knows? This is NOT all sorted out yet--there is no definitive way to rule in or rule out AS. I feel I would have greatly benefited from early social skills and life skills (especially regarding organizational). I think it would have made a huge difference in my life.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Wow. Great info here from all of you.
Thank you.
difficult child will be tested tomorrow by a speech path. He called today to confirm, make sure I had all the paperwork, and ask me what issues I am concerned about. (Interesting, that he's got my perspective and the neuropsychologist's perspective and they may or may not be the same thing.) I told him that difficult child takes things very literally, and sometimes has issues with-voice modulation. He suggested that the vox is more of an ADHD thing but seemed very interested in the other issues.
Judging from your description, MMom, it does sound like difficult child has a non-verbal learning disability. He could not tie his shoes until he was 7 but he was great at soccer. (He now plays baseball.) The teachers commented that he had difficulty handling a scissors, and that his handwriting was poor (he's fine now). We have tutored him so much that I'm not sure what will really show up in the tests tomorrow.
Still, I will not give him his medications and that should help wind him up a bit. Sigh.
 
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