Who do you go to for help?

[sevenhuskers]

I have a 9 year old with Asperger symptoms.  I seem to be getting conflicting information about who to go to for an evaluation.  Our family doc is sending us to a neurologist who we see in June.  But other people are saying we should be going to a psychologist, psychiatrist or a developmental/behavioral specialist.  Just wondering what the best person to see is.

[isthiscp]

Hi, I was wondering what your sons symptoms are? Why is aspergers being suspected? How long has he shown "differences"? My son is also nine and still awaiting *** for aspergers but has a dx of hd.

[mjthewriterdad]

A neurologist is deffinitely competent to perform a doagnosis.  Also a developmental psyc.  You take chances with general psychologist/psysychiatrists with their level of experience.  This is our general experience anyweay.  Your milage may vary!

[sevenhuskers]

Actually it's my daughter.  Her symptoms are as follows:
Really has no friends, IF she plays with anyone it is children younger than herself, she will talk on and on whether you're listening or not in what we have dubbed her "robot voice", she not really obsessive about one particular thing but she plays always with little figures like littlest pet shop, she isn't really clumsy but her movements are very stiff, she really lives in her own world.
She's been this way for years but we are not seeing it present problems in school, not from a academic aspect as she is very smart but she doesn't always get her work done and she has some social issues.  So it was recommended we have her evaluated.

[maggie338]

She may need some help with social skills.  If she has a hard time interacting with kids her own age, she will seek those younger than her just because its easier for her.  And its pretty typical for Asperger children to be socially behind their peers (he will cry like a baby and throw himself on the ground if we need to leave the playground early, or he doesn't get his own way)  - but academically advanced (he just took the MEAP test (Mich. Ed. Assess Test) and out of 9 categories he score 100% in 7 of them).  

[SueNYC]

It all depends what you want to do with the diagnosis - if you want the state to pay for a private school - then unfortunately - the pile becomes thick with many experts opinions.  If you are looking for minimal services (that does not include an aide which is considered a big service and can usually only be granted on the district level ) then you need the bigger guns (neuropsychs and psychiatrists).  For the regular school stuff - like social groups, ots, counseling, speach - a regular psychologist should do the trick.    

[SueNYC]

Oh by the way, my son's case just made the special ed lawyer's newsletter because of the rarity of high IQ children to recieve the amount of services he has (a private school).  I didn't see the article - but academics have little to do with it.  Your services will be decided upon based on whether your child is progressing appropriately or she is making it difficult for the other children (mine was in the latter - not the children but he had taken over the school administration's day as his teacher happily sent him to spend every day reading in the principal's office).  

[SueNYC]

If she is performing well in school and not disturbing the other students she may not qualify for any services - hence the article about my son and the rarity to give true help to academically performing students.