Does my 10 year-old son have Asperger's Syndrome?

[nanny5460]

My 10 year-old son attends private school, will enter 5th grade in Aug. 2009.  He is a whiz in math, has been reading chapter books since first grade, loves science and has a phenomenal memory.  However, has always and continues to have very time with social skills.  Is very immature socially, does not reciprocate well, doesn't share well, makes goofy noises at times, and, literally, does not stop talking, even on medication for ADHD.  His persistent need to talk, comment on the topics being taught in class, correcting others, etc., aggravate others and, thus, he is teased alot and has been the recipient of a lot of bullying.  Additionally, he has difficulty writing notes from dictation, from the board, and a lot of difficulty getting his thoughts on paper.  His handwriting is large (print or cursive) and usually has little or no space between the words he writes.  These problems have occurred since preschool.  He has been on medication for ADHD since mid-kindergarten, first Adderral, then Concerta and now Vyvanse.  I am a master's level speech pathologist and really believe my child has Asperger's Syndrome.  What do you think?

[Rachel Thompson, Ph.D., BCBA]

As you may know, Asperger's is diagnosed based on impaired social development and restricted or repetitive behavior patterns. You noted some social difficulties, but did not mention repetitive behavior, precoccupations, inflexible routines, or other behaviors that fit into that second category. If you feel that he meets these criteria, you should have him evaluated by a professional with experience diagnosing autism spectrum disorders. Even if he does not meet criteria for Asperger's, I recommend that you work with the school to develop some strategies to help him with the difficulties that you noted.

[nanny5460]

Thank you for your comments.  Did you also read the "Additional information....." that I posted shortly after the original "Does my son....."?  He is very inflexible.