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Hydrocephalus and Asperger's syndrome

Is there a connections between Hydrocephalus and Asperger's syndrome, or can the brain damage caused by Hydrocephalus simply "mirrior" the symptoms Asperger's?
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Avatar universal
My son (6 yrs) has got an a-typical hydrocephalus plus Asperger-Syndrome. Our neurosurgeon tells us that an active HC is incompatible with his amazing mathematical abilities, so we needn`t worry about a shunt. The pictures of his brain have shown no change for 5 years now; they do show an enormous amount of liquor, however.
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Avatar universal
My son (6 yrs) has got an a-typical hydrocephalus plus Asperger-Syndrome. Our neurosurgeon tells us that an active HC is incompatible with his amazing mathematical abilities, so we needn`t worry about a shunt. The pictures of his brain have shown no change for 5 years now; they do show an enormous amount of liquor, however.
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
The term "nonverbal" is a misconception of how the brain processes information (right vs. left hemisphere).  Pre-fMRI neurological research concluded that the right side of our brain processess nonverbal information and the left side processes language.  We now know that both hemispheres process language and nonverbal or visual spatial information. The research was correct in that it was saying that these individuals had difficulty with the processing and executing right hemisphere tasks; but it is not limited to "nonverbal processes," as  both language and visual spatial information and much more are and can be deficient. Therefore, individuals may or may not perform in the average range on Nonverbal Tests of Intelligence.  It depends on how much global/holistic processing and fluid reasoning/divergent thinking  is included in the test task demands.  Therefore, please seek the help of an exerperienced psychologist/school psychologist/or neuropsychologist for appropriate testing and diagnosis. Certainly, performance on one test does not rule in or rule out NVLD or Aspergers.
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368886 tn?1466235284
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi.

Please get your son tested on the NVTI (non-verbal test of intelligence) to start with. And keep in touch with the psychologists doing the tests to know about your son's progress on the tests. This is the best time to get him started on remedial education.

Regards
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368886 tn?1466235284
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello feebeeo.

Sharon has brought up a very important issue here. Most probably, it must be a misdiagnosed Asperger's syndrome. Hydrocephalus has been shown to be related to development of Non-verbal Learning Disability, and (as mentioned by Sharon) the lesser known term "Cocktail party syndrome".

Is your child in trouble ?

Regards
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Avatar universal
I have been doing a lot of research on this since my 4 yr. old son was diagnosed as mildly autistic over a year ago. He exhibits none of the characteristics of autism (social issues, etc.) except an odd speech pattern he sometimes has that involves talking about irrelevant things that have nothing to do with the conversation. He can come up with some pretty off the wall things. In the past few weeks I have been reading about "Cocktail Party Syndrome", which is a Nonverbal Learning Disibility that directly linked to diminished white matter in the brain and Hydrocephalus.

My son's neurosurgeon has told me that many of his patients are diagnosed on the autism spectrum and he thinks they are often incorrectly diagnosed, because of the lack of awareness about Hydrocephalus.

Sharon
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