AboutMichelle Fattig Expertise I can answer questions about educational testing, autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ADD/ADHD, Special Education, IEP, Learning Disabilities, Sensory Processing, Parent Advocacy, Response to Intervention, living and parenting with disabilities, parent rights in special education, school psychology, and more. I cannot provide a medical diagnosis.
Experience I am a school psychologist, medical technologist, author of the Annie Books series: Experience Aspeger's Syndrome and Attention Deficits Through the Eyes of a Child, RTI facilitator, ILCD facilitator, parent advocate, presenter, and researcher. My children and I have Asperger's, ADD/ADHD, and learning disabilities.
Organizations National Association of School Pyschologists, American Medical Technologists, Learning Disabilities Association of Nebraska
Education/Credentials Ed.S. in School Psychology, doctoral studies in SPED Law, SPED Systems Enhancement Leadership, and doctoral candidate Education Leadership. MT(AMT) and MLT(ASCP)
My son is 33 months and we've been suspecting some issues for some time. He has been in early intervention since 15 months old. He was discharged from speech scoring in the 99th percentile for expressive and receptive language at 24 months. He still receives OT for muscle, strength and coordination issues.
He is so difficult to describe because I do not feel that he fits in the box at all. Some days he is 95% typical and other days not at all. I think this is why I am confused. I have looked over the Aspergers criteria numerous times and he does not fit the all the criteria to me. I don't see a severe social impairment.His therapists said they have never met a kid like him and don't know if he's on the spectrum either. Even his former speech therapist who has a child on the spectrum and considers herself an "expert" at knowing who is and isn't, said he's the only one who left her so on the fence. She thinks he could just be quirky and have sensory issues.
Here are my concerns
- low average fine motor skills
- low average self help skills
- low average gross motor skills
- sometimes jumps and flaps
- sings too much
- does not repeat dialog exactly as the TV shows but will get ideas from TV shows and re-enact the shows, for example he will pretend I am a character from a Tv show and address me as such with the same storyline
- is obsessive about 1 or 2 things. Always keeps track of where one toy is and loves my nose.
- low arousal at times
- shuts down when pushed or when he's not good at something (very aware of his abilities)
However, while he is shy with certain people he does know how to interact with adults and children. Sometimes he is anti-social and other times very social. He loves two or three boys in his daycare. He imitates them, initiates and plays interactively. He loves sisters 2 year older friends tries to fit in, and says he wants them to come over for playdates (he hasn't had his own yet). He seeks my or his sister's companionship all the time and plays well with her. However, if someone forces him to make eye contact he will squint at them. He does naturally make good eye contact with me and family memebers. His speech is good. I don't see pragmatic concerns. He talks about his feelings and other people's feelings. He can tell a story about what happened at school and can summarize a TV show. He initiates conversations and hangs out and talks about whatever we are talking about. He does not have a subject he likes to talk about exclusively. The only concern again with the speech is the almost TV scripting thing. I am just unsure if it qualifies as that. The singing is used to tune out when things get too difficult like at his OT sessions. He also seems smarter than his peers other than common sense things like washing and drying hands, putting on a coat etc.. He knew colors, shapes 18 months and letters by 29 months. We really didn't teach him any of this esp the letters. He is not obsessed with them though. He picks up concepts at rapid speed and has been able to answer "why" questions for months.
Does he sound like a type of Aspergers to you?
Answer I have to laugh just a little (and not in an offensive manner), as you just described both of my children! Both have Asperger's, but were not officially diagnosed until 2nd grade and 3rd grade respectively. The reason it is so hard to define, is that it is such a broad spectrum. If he is a happy little boy, and not experiencing difficulty socially, emotionally, behaviorally, or preacademically, I would define his behavior simply as "traits." Traits can simply be idiosyncratic and non-problematic. It generally isn't until school age, that people on our team begin to experience anxiety, frustration, isolation/rejection, or other societally imposed difficulty. If he remains just a happy little guy with some quirks, I would suggest just enjoying every moment! If you suspect that there is more to your concerns, ask that the school psychologist provide a Behavior Assessment System for Children-2 (BASC-2) and a Gilliam Asperger's Scale (or equivalent). With those scores, you can better assess if any further investigation may be necessary. If you have any other questions, please let me know.
