Does this sound like Aspergers?

[ROXIEB]

My son is 3 years 9months old. His old babysitter suggested I might want to get him evaluated. She watched 4 boys the same age. She said he was different from the others. Here are some things I have noticed.

He was a early talker. He started speaking at 8 months & was using 3 word sentences by 10months. He could do a 36 piece puzzle by age 2.  

He didn't roll over till he was 6 months, crawled at 11 months, walking at 16 months. He is still potty training and he will be 4 in Sept. He can draw a circle but nothing else.  He holds a pen in a fist. He just in the last month started dressing himself. He still isn't very good at feeding himself with utensils instead wants me to feed him.

As an infant we couldn't go anywhere because he would get so overwhelmed. He is bothered by sounds, usually ones other people don't even notice. Like air coming through a vent. He is very sensitive to the sun. He wants me to pick him up so he can bury his head. He won't walk bare foot outside. He will raise both of his feet if I try to put him down. His bath water has to be room temp. He screams & cries if water gets on his face. He is a VERY picky eater. He will only eat room temp finger foods except for (yogurt, cheesy eggs) At almost 4 he still mouths toys.

He has severe separation anxiety. He has to be pulled off of me screaming when I leave him in the morning.  He wants to play with the other kids but doesn't really know how. He tends to play around them but not with them. He likes to act like a clown and make them laugh. He just in the last month started to "pretend play" he will do it for a few minutes. He will have meltdowns for no apparent reason. (he will just start crying like his is upset & no one knows why)

OCD issues. He lines up all his toys, he is very attached to his routines if we miss a step he gets very upset, he eats paper (this is actually much better lately), his hands have to be clean (he is addicted to hand sanitizer).

Thanks for your time,
Concerned Mom

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

In general the findings appear to be sensible. The results indicate developmental issues in a number of areas. The broad developmental problems in and of themselves are the issue. It's not as if a single condiiton is influencing your son. Many children display problems in more than one area of development.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Your description indicates a developmental disorder, that is a certainty. However, it sounds more involved than Asperger's Disorder by itself would explain. The best way to proceed would be to arrange a comprehensive developmental evaluation, including cognitive, social, emotional, fine and gross motor. Speech/Language and Occupational Therapy (particulally to address sensory integration problems) should be included in the evaluation.

[ROXIEB]

Oh I forgot on his IQ test he scored in the 95%. She said that put him in the superior range for intelligence. He is scoring in the average range for school readiness.

[ROXIEB]

I got the results from the Pyschologist that evaluated my son.......

She says he does not  have any form of autism however this is what she says he has and her recomendations.

1. An anxiety disorder non-specified
2. Need to bee seen in the feeding clinc for restrictive eating
3. Rule out PICA
4. A speech & language evaluation due to idosyncratic language.
5. Seen by OT for sensory/OCD issues
6. Family therapy to help my son learn coping mechanisms
7. Social problems with other children due to the fact that he is shy and only around same age children Mon-Fri 6:45am-5:15pm. Cousins and stepsisters are all older.

So can you explain what is missing here for a diagnosis of Asperger's? I am somewhat confused. Does this sound right? Can one kid have all that wrong and still not have something to connect it all together?

[portuguese mom]

You should also contact your school district (assuming you live in the USA).  They can also perform these tests (free of charge to you/ it is the federal law) in parallel to your private/insurance evaluation.  The school district has a goal of getting this child ready for elementary school. If there is a sensory issue or speech issue, the school district needs to provide therapy which is free.  Most insurance companies do not pay for speech or for OT. I assume that a child psychologist or prediatric development doctor will evaluate your son in six monhts. You should also call this doctor and ask for a referral to an OT therapist and speech therapist to schedule these evaluations. You so not want to end up in 6 months waiting another 6 months for these OT and speech specialists to evaluate him. Six months to 12 months is too long in the life of a 3 year old. Early interventions and therapies are key to getting these children up to speed.  You do not want to waste time.

[ROXIEB]

I appreciate your help. At least I know I am not over reacting. I have him approved to be seen but they said it would be 6 months before they can get him in. So hopefully it will be before the end of the year. It was hard to get him approved because the insurance company criteria said he had to be speech delayed or have loss of speech. I guess I was hoping it wouldn't be necessary for him to be seen based on that. Obviously that was just wishful thinking.