I am trying to figure out how to help....

[dlb4boys]

My 3 1/2 year old has been in head start since he was 19 months old. It took more then 2 months before I could leave without him screaming. He did adapt to school but as he got older he started showing aggressive behavior when the teacher would change his diaper or he would think another child was going to take the toy he was playing with.  After he turned 3 he switched the the preschool part of the headstart and he had a lot of trouble.  He does not play with the other children unless he is outside or in the gym running around. If someone upsets him he hides under a table or chair and kicks and throws things. He is very loveable to adults, sometimes a little too much. He can hold conversations on subjects that he wants to talk about. He will ingore people if they talk about something that he doesn't want to talk about. He did have a speech problem and didn't start really talking until he was almost three years old. He has inconsistent eye contact, he only looks at people when he is interested in what they are talking about and even then it is only for a few seconds. He can repeat numbers but does not know them on his own. He does know his shapes and colors, but knows none of his abc's.  I have some people saying he might have asperger's and some that say he don't and they don't know what's wrong with him . Is there anyone here that could give me a clue on how to help my son be more social and to teach him how to keep his behavior in check.

[Myrna Libby, Ph.D., BCBA]

You indicate people are giving you opinions about diagnoses but you do not indicate if you have taken your son to have a full evaluation.  I would pursue getting a full evaluation as soon as possible to determine if he has a recognized diagnosis which will then, hopefully, provide you access to appropriate avenues for treatment.  I think many of the issues you describe could respond to behavioral treatment and I think you should also check resources listed on the BCBA website. (Board Certified Behavior Analysis)