Does my 4 yr have Asperger Syndrome

[lvmy3boys]

I have a 4 yr old that we have had concerns about since he was around 1 or so...  He had some hearing loss from 3 months to 2 years, but his hearing was just tested and was fine.  He has so many signs of Aspersers that I went to my sister in law that studies Autism and she set me up with a Dr...  But of course it will be Dec before I can see him..  Here are the signs...
*Has poor eye contact
*Has major melt downs (very loud squeals very mad and wants to hide) and also shuts down (glazed look…  If some one is looking he has quite melt downs…  Peeling at his skin and also wants to hide)
*Does not like to be touched and likes to be alone
*Covers his ears if you are mad and if too much is going on around him
*Covers self with blankets with any kind of emotions (hurt or sad).  Almost as if it calms him down
*Has an extreme high pain tolerance
*Drools with melt downs
*Heavy feet and talks loud
*Throws up out of no where
*Recently started rocking side to side
*Recently started chewing things
*Lack of common sense
*Very Clumsily
*Tries to leave out the door with out letting us know
*Tongue thing….  
*Likes to line up his toys (in a straight line)
I thank you for your help with this... He is very hard to handle when he has his moments (as my sister in law say "he's out of his bubble").  But he is a very loving child.

[Rozanna]

Your child sounds alot like mine! You should read my post. Please help did doctors misdignose my son...............

                           Rozanna

[Scratch_Itcherson]

Your son sounds a lot like mine.  We are having the full evaluation process start in December at the National Autism Center.  I have read many books on Asperger's and this sounds like it fits for our son.  He is five, soon to be 6.  I will know soon.  Amazon had a great selection of books on Aspergers.  I am a book hound and when I am curious I read and read.  The OASIS website I thought was somewhat helpful as well.  Good luck.

[theresa27]

Hi,
I study autism, and this does sound like it could be a possibility, however it sounds like your son may have some co-occuring conditions, such as an allergy ( wheat and gluten are possibilities)
Check out www.rdiconnect.com, it is a very helpful site and a wonderful therapy if your son does have an autism spectrum disorder.

[fidgit]

one of the main early characteristics of a child with aspergers is the that they didn;t talk until after they were 3

[renna3265]

sounds like my son.diagnosed 6 mths ago but not quite as severe symptoms. He loves to hide, has set routines for some things,poos his pants,has little eye contact etc. Very well spoken and does pick up accents from other countries.You could try contacting an autism association in you area for more info.good luck ,renna

[Sally44]

As you've seen from the postings, a number of people are noticing similar things.  I don't know whereabouts you are, but you should ask for a full multi-disciplinary team evaluation (ie. speech/language, clinical psychologist/educational psychologist etc).  The doctor you are going to see is a long time to wait.  Is that a private doctor or is it a referral from your GP?  You could still keep that appointment and use it as a second opinion and also try to get something earlier.  I'm simply thinking of the waiting time and the fact that if your son does need services then it is another 8 months before he is seen with additonal referral time on top of that.  The only real way to diagnose is through observations by professionals so get them on board asap.  It took 18 months for my son to get a diagnosis and a further 18 months on top of that to get a Statement of Special Education Needs (which you need in the UK to get a place at a school with additional resources for children on the spectrum).  I am trying to get this all sorted before he starts Junior school.  
Did/does your son have any communication problems eg. slow to start talking, limited vocabulary, doesn't chat only talks to get needs met, doesn't appear to understand pronouns, copies TV/DVD dialogue, mimick accents etc, repeats questions back to you.  If you can say yes to any of these then a speech and language assessment should be done.  For a diagnosis of Aspergers there usually isn't any kind of language delay, but that doesn't mean there are no language processing problems.  And usually children with Aspergers tend to do better at school and therefore tend to get less support.  I am saying that because sometimes, some parents push for a diagnosis of Aspergers because the prognosis sounds better, but infact their child gets less help because of that diagnosis.
You mention alot of sensory problems and I would recommend doing a google search for 'Olga Bogdashina' and read her article in Autism Today about sensory differences in autism and aspergers.  She is a reputable academic (from the Ukraine) who has two autistic children.  She has been invited to speak to both Professionals and Parents at many schools in the UK and her sensory profile checklist is used by our professionals to get a personal sensory chart for each child.  The checklist is at the back of her book 'Sensory and Perceptual Differences in Autism and Aspergers'.
My son also used to vomit.  Does he do it after you have asked him to do something?  My son used to vomit if I turned the TV off, or if I said we were going to the shops, or anything that involved him having to stop what he was doing.

[SueNYC]

Someone posted that children with Asperger's don't talk until 3 - that is not true.  The difference between most children with Asperger's and HFA is that the Asperger's children do not show a speech dleay (though they may have pragmatic problems (being too literal) and some have a robotic type voice (again - not always).  That is one of the reasons that children with Asperger's get diagnosed around 8 n;lie other autistics.

My son was highly verbal at the age of 2 and by 3 had a speech vocabulary of a 6 year old.  Asperger's childrena re terrible at reading non-vernbal clues.

[Louise129]

THere are some very good recommendations here, but you need to be careful. Every single child is different regardless of their diagnosis. I have a lot of experience with children with autism / Aspergers and the thing I cannot recommend highly enough is to look into Greenspan's Floortime therapy. Getting in as soon as possible to help your son is paramount, under 5 is optimal, and obviously he is nearly there. I would not hesitate to explire this option, it is online and I have researched many aspects of this approach. Beware of therapists recommending a behaviourist approach, they are outdated and many people in the industry are not up to date with the latest research and therapies that WORK. A behaviourist approach (such as ABA) will teach your son behaviours, not to be a loving and creative and reflective person. THere is much hope, best of luck!

[SueNYC]

Don't be so hard on ABA.  It saved our family.  Different children respond well to different therapies.  My son is now using Dr. Greene's approach - not the preferred method at NYU - but if it is working his doctors say everyone should get on board.  But we used ABA when he was younger and it was just what we all needed.

[mrs_t76]

I think the bottom line that everyone is trying to say here is time is not on your side (or anyone else's for that matter) when it comes to an Autism Spectrum Disorder...Whatever one it may be.  If you were suspiscious since he was about 1...you have already lost some very precious time and need to do some major running to get on track now.  It *****...No better phrase for it!...that people have to wait so long to have their child tested.  So many psychologist in the world, yet only a few are trained and will diagnose an ASD.  It is so frustrating!  I had the same waiting line that you do now though and so I took things into my hands, grabbed the yellow pages, and called EVERY SINGLE PSYCHOLOGIST listed in the book.  Asking each of them if they test in Austism and if not, where to call...etc...  I spent the WHOLE day on the phone, but by the time I got done; I was able to find one that got me in there in 2 WEEKS!  It also helps, in some cases, to give them a sob story of really needing to get him in and that things are becoming increasingly worse, etc...  Sometimes, when they hear the urgency of the matter, they will fit you in a "no show" spot.  Advise them to put you on a list as well to call at the last minute if there is a cancellation and you will be there, etc...  This is all about your child and diagnosis is crucial at an early age for ASD and he deserves it as well!  Diagnosis can also come from a Pediatric Neurologist, which may be able to get you in a bit sooner.  CALL THEM ALL...Keep your other appointment as well for Dec. in case you feel the need to use it then for a 2nd opinion or validation; but I can not stress enough how badly you need to be on that phone tomorrow calling...begging...pleading...To get in with someone NOW.  You also need to, if you have not already, have the school run an IEP for him as well.  They DO NOT need a medical diagnosis (in the US) to get him into special schooling.  They do their own testing and evaluations and such with their own team of specialist...free...and it is WONDERFUL.  Plus, then you at least know that when he is in school in the fall, he will be getting the right supervision, the right direction, and the right guidance for his behavior.  With all that you described above, I would definitely say he has some variation of an ASD (I AM NOT A MEDICAL DOCTOR THOUGH); but his extreme behavior and such that you mentioned tell me that it is not just an attention getter.
Good Luck~
Misty*