Is it Asperger's, a Tic, or Nothing?

[tonibella]

I have a 10 year old son and he was a smart talkative little boy; as he gets older his development seems to slow down. He pulls his lip unconsiously, he used to blink all the time but has moved on to grimacing or frowning; he tells me he's not aware that he's doing that; he used to clear his throat a lot but has moved on from that. I alway thought he had a problem with tics but the doctor just tells me to observe..?? My concern now is that he is good at math but not at reading comprehension. Things that have a definitive answer he can do but nothing that requires that he thinks about something and interpret it in his own words. He is scheduled for a visit with a pediatric neurologist for an EEG to rule out petit mal but the more I think about it I'm sure that's not what it is. While he does stare off into space or seems distracted sometimes, I'm thinking that Asperger's Syndrome may unfortunately be more fitting. He is always hugging me and his father to the point of it being annyoing; we love him and give him love daily but I'm thinking that the hugging is a form of a tic too. Any advice would be appreciated. It's especially hard because my husband thinks I'm over reacting. I think he thinks that a diagnosis will reflect on him as a parent because he is pretty old fashioned so it makes it a little more difficult for me to voice my concerns.
Thank you.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Nothig about your description indicates any condition along the Pervasive Developmental Disorder spectrum. I would tend more toward possible Tourette's Disorder along with learning disability. The evaluation with the neurologist is sensible, but not to consider seizure disorder - that is not supported by your description. You might have him screened for learning disability.

[tonibella]

Thank you so much. I will get him screened for learning disability as well.

[tonibella]

In addition to my statement above, his handwriting has gotten much worse. He wrote better at 4 than he does now.
Thanks.