mymulligan
New Member
Oh and once during a fire drill at school he darted into the street. Used to do stuff like that all the time! Impulsivity is much better but clearly there is something to this.
How Do I Parent?
- Thread starter mymulligan
- Start date
Chances are high for pre-natal brain damage.
Plus, she may have drank more than she let on... in which case Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)/Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) might come into play.
(not guaranteed, though... one parent on the board has an adopted son born with drugs in his system and... his problems and challenges don't seem to be related...)
mymulligan
New Member
So brain damage can mean anything. It might not even fit into a clear diagnosis? I tend to agree with you but i don't think there was alcohol abuse. I spent several days in a row with her and probably would have seen something plus she ALWAYS was extremely honest with me about what drugs she liked and didn't. I know in my heart the crack damaged him somehow and maybe even the cigarettes contributed to the ADHD. It makes me homocidal and I had already forgiven her everything. Now what do I do? That poor kid. I keep thinking well we're all a little brain damaged right? But that's my defense mechanism because this is very difficult to process.
TerryJ2
Well-Known Member
Mymulligan,
Yes, sensory processing and autism do go together. It's not 100%--nothing is--plus, the new DSM is crazy with-politics. You have to be "autistic" whether you have non-verbal autism or high functioning Asperger's.
Having said that, it is a spectrum. For example, I have sensory issues, but am not autistic--I'm artistic. I'm an artist. (Stop with-the jokes, already!!! ) But I do fit into the stereotype. (Except that I don't throw tantrums and I do meet deadlines.)
Someone who runs away from loud traffic and ends up running INTO traffic would be more on the autism spectrum, because they don't understand danger. However, that could also be the beginnings of bipolar.
Now, the Big Question: How many times did the biomom do crack and did if affect your son? Do you know how he rated on the Apgar? Did he scream for hours after he was born?
In addition, did the biomom do crack because it acted as a stimulant or as a calming agent, because she had sensory issues and was using street drugs to "function"?
IOW, there could be a genetic component here. What is her family history like? Do you know any grandparents, aunts or uncles?
More questions than answers, that's for sure.
by the way, I signed up my son for NILD--which is very expensive--and it really helped.
Here's a link:
http://www.nild.net/basics.asp
And here's an article on the difference between bipolar and Asperger's: http://www.myaspergerschild.com/2010/10/aspergers-and-comorbid-bipolar.html
And one on crack babies: http://www.livestrong.com/article/2...ren-born-with-meth-or-crack-in-their-systems/
Oh, and a lot of Aspies make good eye contact.
At this point, I wouldn't rule out anything. I would just make sure he has a good sleep routine, a gluten-free and dairy free diet, ("leaky gut syndrome" is found in the majority of autistic people) and not a lot of artificial stimulation, such as video games.
How exciting that you got to cut the cord when he was born! You must have been over the moon!
Yes, sensory processing and autism do go together. It's not 100%--nothing is--plus, the new DSM is crazy with-politics. You have to be "autistic" whether you have non-verbal autism or high functioning Asperger's.
Having said that, it is a spectrum. For example, I have sensory issues, but am not autistic--I'm artistic. I'm an artist. (Stop with-the jokes, already!!!
) But I do fit into the stereotype. (Except that I don't throw tantrums and I do meet deadlines.)Someone who runs away from loud traffic and ends up running INTO traffic would be more on the autism spectrum, because they don't understand danger. However, that could also be the beginnings of bipolar.
Now, the Big Question: How many times did the biomom do crack and did if affect your son? Do you know how he rated on the Apgar? Did he scream for hours after he was born?
In addition, did the biomom do crack because it acted as a stimulant or as a calming agent, because she had sensory issues and was using street drugs to "function"?
IOW, there could be a genetic component here. What is her family history like? Do you know any grandparents, aunts or uncles?
More questions than answers, that's for sure.
by the way, I signed up my son for NILD--which is very expensive--and it really helped.
Here's a link:
http://www.nild.net/basics.asp
And here's an article on the difference between bipolar and Asperger's: http://www.myaspergerschild.com/2010/10/aspergers-and-comorbid-bipolar.html
And one on crack babies: http://www.livestrong.com/article/2...ren-born-with-meth-or-crack-in-their-systems/
Oh, and a lot of Aspies make good eye contact.
At this point, I wouldn't rule out anything. I would just make sure he has a good sleep routine, a gluten-free and dairy free diet, ("leaky gut syndrome" is found in the majority of autistic people) and not a lot of artificial stimulation, such as video games.
How exciting that you got to cut the cord when he was born! You must have been over the moon!
mymulligan
New Member
Ok so she is a life long addict. Crack and Meth mostly but crack is her poison. Literally and figuratively
I don't know why she started doing drugs but she's about 40 now so we'd be going WAYYYY back.
He scored 9 on his apgars and he did not scream. He was a perfect baby (except he aquired staph from his circumcision but that's a whole other story) Yes I know both sides of the family fairly well! I get info from parents' brothers and sisters who are all surprisingly normal. I know his bio father had adhd and was on ritilan. His brothers had it too. I really really think it's ADHD and he's going through something I've been researching all day (I already knew a lot of it) BUT I am open I really am. If he's bipolar I'm going to jump off the nearest bridge. I grew up with a schizophrenic brother who basically ruined my childhood. God wouldn't do that to me twice! Would he????
I don't know why she started doing drugs but she's about 40 now so we'd be going WAYYYY back.
He scored 9 on his apgars and he did not scream. He was a perfect baby (except he aquired staph from his circumcision but that's a whole other story) Yes I know both sides of the family fairly well! I get info from parents' brothers and sisters who are all surprisingly normal. I know his bio father had adhd and was on ritilan. His brothers had it too. I really really think it's ADHD and he's going through something I've been researching all day (I already knew a lot of it) BUT I am open I really am. If he's bipolar I'm going to jump off the nearest bridge. I grew up with a schizophrenic brother who basically ruined my childhood. God wouldn't do that to me twice! Would he????
mymulligan
New Member
I read the article and this stood out for me Individuals with Aspergers tend to have one or two highly-focused interests and can talk at length about them. My son doesn't really talk at length about them but for about 1.5 years he was VERY focused on his lovey (attachment object) For another 1.5-2 years it was Thomas the train but not only Thomas....GORDON ! So it was one specific character and very very single minded. Then it was Spiderman since christmas 2 years ago with a break for other things here and there but always back to the constant costumes. The constant play. Crying if a friend didn't want to play it. But he doesn't really talk about it at length and he certainly doesn't speak formally as the article suggests. He's very graceful socially for his age actually. I always thought it was [FONT=Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif]hyper focus from the ADHD. But could this be a symptom of mild aspie? If so how did all these experts miss it? he really doesn't seem to meet the criteria for bipolar. I do though!!![/FONT]
mymulligan--
Deep breaths! We are all just parents here and not qualified to diagnose your son in any way.
Each of us is just offering ideas...things we have run across...theories to consider...questions to ask....that sort of thing.
Your child is still so young - way too young for many serious, scary diagnoses.
Right now, though, he is at the perfect age for interventions to help avert more serious issues later on. That's partly why we are making suggestions and asking lots of questions. Right now, you have a great window for getting this boy on a good track.
Deep breaths! We are all just parents here and not qualified to diagnose your son in any way.
Each of us is just offering ideas...things we have run across...theories to consider...questions to ask....that sort of thing.
Your child is still so young - way too young for many serious, scary diagnoses.
Right now, though, he is at the perfect age for interventions to help avert more serious issues later on. That's partly why we are making suggestions and asking lots of questions. Right now, you have a great window for getting this boy on a good track.
BusynMember
Well-Known Member
I didn't read all the responses, nor did I reread my own...lol, but my son's bio. mom used at least cocaine, which we know because he was born with it in his system. My son also had a lot of behaviors like your son does, at least at a young age. Your son's behaviors are more likely due to the drugs than to ADHD. My son was hyper off-the-charts, but not due to ADHD, although that was his first diagnosis.
These drugs cause problems in the developing brain and it is probably not as easy a diagnosis as saying, "He has ADHD." Just get all the interventions you can and be glad he isn't worse off. I am very happy that Sonic only has high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). It could have been far worse. Anger and aggression are common in drug affected children, but Sonic doesn't have that either. It's very individual what these drugs do to each individual child. I also figure that if a woman uses serious drugs while pregnant, at some point in time she probably got drunk. Drinking is actually worse for a developing fetus than even cocaine. Or so I was told by a special clinic in Chicago where they only see substance affected children. by the way, a child can be very eager to socialize, but have serious socialization issues which usually show up once the child is expected to have give-and-take and heart-to-heart conversations rather than more running around fun. My son had tons of friends in kindergarten, but that fell apart as he got older. He is still very talkative and social around those he trusts, but does not have good social skills nor can he read body language or figure out how to fit into a group.
Keep an eye on him and take him to a neuropsychologist. Expect some learning issues and behavior problems. Be open to anything. Such is the life of a mother whose adopted child was exposed to substances in utero :/ Lots of strangeness and many question marks that won't be answered until he is grown!!
These drugs cause problems in the developing brain and it is probably not as easy a diagnosis as saying, "He has ADHD." Just get all the interventions you can and be glad he isn't worse off. I am very happy that Sonic only has high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). It could have been far worse. Anger and aggression are common in drug affected children, but Sonic doesn't have that either. It's very individual what these drugs do to each individual child. I also figure that if a woman uses serious drugs while pregnant, at some point in time she probably got drunk. Drinking is actually worse for a developing fetus than even cocaine. Or so I was told by a special clinic in Chicago where they only see substance affected children. by the way, a child can be very eager to socialize, but have serious socialization issues which usually show up once the child is expected to have give-and-take and heart-to-heart conversations rather than more running around fun. My son had tons of friends in kindergarten, but that fell apart as he got older. He is still very talkative and social around those he trusts, but does not have good social skills nor can he read body language or figure out how to fit into a group.
Keep an eye on him and take him to a neuropsychologist. Expect some learning issues and behavior problems. Be open to anything. Such is the life of a mother whose adopted child was exposed to substances in utero :/ Lots of strangeness and many question marks that won't be answered until he is grown!!
Experts miss it ALL the time. (been there done that)
More severe cases really get attention and are harder (but not impossible) to miss.
The impact of milder Asperger's is just starting to be recognized. Try it on for size yourself... read up about it, try the parenting approaches that work for it, and see what happens.
Start a log of his behaviors, triggers, sleep, eating, etc. It will help on your next round of evaluations (we needed 4)
His serial interests are definitely Aspie-ish. His social skills... are you comparing to same age peers? or just to his interaction with adults? Many Aspie's can handle adult interaction, but not same-age peers... and the test on social skills is... (of course) same-age peers.
