R
redegg
Guest
We took difficult child to the therapist appointment last night, talked to her a bit about our concerns and had several interruptions by difficult child when he added his $.02 to the conversation. I'm glad he did though, and I think therapist was too, because she got to observe some of his typical behavior. When he wasn't jumping into the conversation he was pacing around the room looking at all the toys but not actually playing with any of them. After about 15 minutes, therapist said of our suspicion of Aspergers:
"I can't understand how anyone else could have missed it."
Wow. It was a powerful statement for us, and a huge validation. She listed off a great number of behaviors that she had observed just in the short time we'd all been in the room together, and hadn't even looked at the childbrain checklist I'd brought with me.
While she's pretty positive that it *is* Aspergers we're dealing with, she's not able to make a diagnosis. So she referred us to a psychiatrist she has worked with who is likely to be able to get us in much more quickly than the autism research center at the university here. She also explained that she likes this psychiatrist very much because he considers naturopathic remedies right alongside the stronger pharmaceutical drugs, and is very often willing to try several things before resorting to drugs. That's pretty important to us, so it was good to hear.
So anyway, I guess we're now on the road to an AS diagnosis. difficult child was sweet and silly after the appointment and husband says, "No matter what I hope they don't change you. Don't ever change." While I can appreciate the sentiment because we both think our kid is wonderful in all his weirdness, I take exception with planting ideas in difficult child's head about how we're taking him to doctors to try to make him less *him* and change him into someone else. difficult child is only 7, and he takes things very literally, so even the smallest suggestion can really set him on a path that will end with a truckload of anxiety. husband tends to be filled with off-the-cuff and subtle negative comments. I'm hoping that the therapist and psychiatrist will reinforce the need to be *positive* around difficult child because it doesn't seem to sink in when I say anything about it.
Okay, now I'm just venting. Sorry.
"I can't understand how anyone else could have missed it."
Wow. It was a powerful statement for us, and a huge validation. She listed off a great number of behaviors that she had observed just in the short time we'd all been in the room together, and hadn't even looked at the childbrain checklist I'd brought with me.
While she's pretty positive that it *is* Aspergers we're dealing with, she's not able to make a diagnosis. So she referred us to a psychiatrist she has worked with who is likely to be able to get us in much more quickly than the autism research center at the university here. She also explained that she likes this psychiatrist very much because he considers naturopathic remedies right alongside the stronger pharmaceutical drugs, and is very often willing to try several things before resorting to drugs. That's pretty important to us, so it was good to hear.
So anyway, I guess we're now on the road to an AS diagnosis. difficult child was sweet and silly after the appointment and husband says, "No matter what I hope they don't change you. Don't ever change." While I can appreciate the sentiment because we both think our kid is wonderful in all his weirdness, I take exception with planting ideas in difficult child's head about how we're taking him to doctors to try to make him less *him* and change him into someone else. difficult child is only 7, and he takes things very literally, so even the smallest suggestion can really set him on a path that will end with a truckload of anxiety. husband tends to be filled with off-the-cuff and subtle negative comments. I'm hoping that the therapist and psychiatrist will reinforce the need to be *positive* around difficult child because it doesn't seem to sink in when I say anything about it.
Okay, now I'm just venting. Sorry.