<p>Boy did I just screw up....I had a very good reply of all that has been going on, only to have it taken away by not being logged in. </p>
<p>I've been gone and hadn't checked the posts in a few weeks...I'm trying hard not to obsess over K's diagnosis. We're visiting colleges this next week over fall break -- two of which have already accepted him. OSU is large but will have good services, the other is a small liberal arts private college 600 miles away. That'll make you break out in hives. However, he is determined but unaware of the challenges facing him. Is this any different than the rest of us? No. Most of us didn't know what were getting into and we got through. I just pray that he'll remember to reach out to us for help as well as the services that colleges offer now. </p>
<p>Vocal has been great for our son...most of the inclusionary males in the group graduated last year and I was worried about isolation this year. That, so far, has been an unfounded fear. He's been very busy, but has socialized more this year than in year's before. </p>
<p>Acceptance of his diagnosis and applying it (re: disclosure) is the current challenge. He has no idea of what it affects -- he doesn't see it has a diablity hurdle which is great, but he also doesn't realize what challenges it presents.</p>
<p>My friends son has characteristics of Aspergers but they never had a formal diagnosis since he was doing very well in school. The half full/half empty thing for them is the social aspect. He's a great kids, very moral, honest etc., employers love him, but high school was lonely. Even though "nerds" are isolated anyway, he didn't quite fit in with them either. My daughter never really noticed since he had friends up to then and he was quiet in school, but I know it causes my friend some pain. I hope in a new environment (college), he will find some other nice "quirky" friends.
I don't think an official diagnosis would help unless he needed services, but for some it might make them feel better or an "ah ha" moment. My daughter though has slight OCD in some areas and doesn't like labels, she is just "me".</p>
<p>Another diagnosis ( not as widely recognized) which may apply to kids who seem to have some mild Aspergers traits is NLD (Non-Verbal Learning Disorder.)</p>
<p>These kids are very strong on verbal skills, often weaker on mathematical and motor skills and have some social difficulties with mild OCD tendencies but they tend to seem more "neurotypical" than Aspergers kids.</p>
<p>Many children with Asperger's Syndrome also have ADHD. I have heard estimates as high as 80%. In fact, some experts on ADHD believe that Asperger's is actually severe ADHD. There is a very fine line between the two.</p>
<p>Prescribed medication typically improves children's ADHD characteristics by 30-35% at best. The rest fall to play therapy, behavior modification, and consistency to solve. Consistency is 99% of the solution.</p>
<p>I encourage you to seek a skilled play therapist to advise you on behavior modifications you can use at home to help this child. The talking kind of therapy is ineffective for these kids.</p>
<p>We have found this recommended approach to improve children's behavior as much as six times faster than with typical 50-minute-a-week traditional therapy covered by most insurance. Because it puts parents in control 24/7 to guide and teach their children the skills they need to feel more successful. That makes parents feel more successful, too.</p>
<p>I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any more questions.</p>
<p>Yours in parenting success,
Debra Sale Wendler
ADHD Parenting Tips</p>
<p>Cognitive behavioral therapy is generally shorter term and even more effective than play therapy, and is highly recommended for children who have trouble with cues and different situations, since they develop actual strategies to use that are functional, and not abstract.</p>
<p>Getting into college wasn't really a problem. I graduated from high school with a 3.76 GPA and was in National Honors Society. Aside from some counseling services I really didn't have any advantages over the other students in terms of support. I did ask teachers questions after class or after school sometimes but a lot of people who didn't have a diagnosis did that too where I went.</p>
<p>I evaluated schools mostly on financial aid packages and size of the school.</p>
<p>I was accepted at every school I applied to and on my initial applications I didn't put anything about a disability. Only after I was accepted did I let them know that I have AS. I got to meet with a disability support person at that school but she screwed me over and when I transferred (her bad influence helped to ruin my health up there and I came home near death before the semester ended) I refused to tell anyone about my condition for fear of a similar program--although I may tell the prof of the gen ed class I'm not doing well in to hopefully allow me to do better next time (i.e. get help, maybe even retake the test I just took if I'm lucky...)</p>
<p>My AS interferes mostly with social functioning. Surprisingly, I am a psych major, although my focus is on cognitive psych. I am planning on going to grad school and beyond (PhD) to go into autism research myself...for the AS community by an AS would be an awesome thing and something that I would really want to do. However, when it comes to interacting with others, I am often dazed and confused. Also, I have trouble in certain situations in the classroom with the material. Certain analysis of some social situations are tough for me (I'm struggling with that a good deal in one class right now) and there are some concepts I just don't get, but overall I am doing really well.</p>
<p>Otherwise I'm pretty normal--I drive, swim, play piano, work out, manage my bank accounts/loans, sing in church choir, and have a GPA of over 3.9 in my undergrad studies. I have a few friends, I know them from middle and high school (I got lucky enough to go to the same college as one of them) but outside of my small circle I'm pretty aloof and won't really take time to meet people. I don't date or go to parties. Never been in any trouble with the law, not even a traffic ticket. I'm fairly independent but must live at home simply because I need my support network. I could never live with a roommate because of my social problems. Also, all my counselors are in this area and I may have difficulty selecting grad schools as a result.</p>
<p>Hi Sim, My son has Aspergers and this weekend when visiting college he was thrilled to see Star Wars on the tv at the hotel! He also has struggled with making friends and dealing with being lonely. He has said this has made him stronger and less reliant on other people to become happy. I hope you will always know that you are unique and beautiful and loved. Be good to yourself :)</p>
<p>Wow, neuromom, I just found your old post, and it sounds as if you are talking about my daughter. If you’re still out there, can you tell me how it all turned out for your son?</p>