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)
Expert: Michelle Fattig Date: 1/27/2008 Subject: 8yr old girl
Question My eight year old step daughter talks all the time, plays with toys appropriate for babies and toddlers. She is always pointing out little "ouchies"at home and at school. She talks out of turn. She doesnt do anything for herself to get ready for school , I have worked with her and tried to do the same patterns daily, if I am not there to "cue" her, she just stands there. She is very immature for her age. She has trouble with speech, but she can actually say things correctly, she just doesn t remember when shes talking. I get alot of "i dont know/ I cant". very whiny, Screamed alot as a baby, used to hide her face and cry from strangers until about 4 years old. when she gets excited she brings her hands up to her face and just shakes almost uncontrollably. she cant ride a bike. These are just a few issues. Do you think this is normal behavior? any signs of autism? i have two boys and have been around lots of children, never really noticed anything like this from them. The shaking of the hands thing... she used to bite her bottle nipple and just shake. Thank you for your time
Answer It can be hard to find a correct diagnosis of high functioning autism, especially in girls. One reason why the prevalence in girls and women is so low in comparison to boys and men may be the fundamental lack of awareness of what Asperger’s Syndrome “looks like” in females. Traditional frameworks may indicate that the female with Asperger’s Syndrome is just shy, quiet, perfect at school so her parents must be exaggerating, tomboyish, moody, overly competitive, aloof, gothic, depressed, anxious, or a perfectionist. The Viennese pediatrician, Asperger, described a group of children with similar characteristics, observing that “the children’s social maturity and social reasoning were delayed and some aspects of their social abilities were quite unusual at any stage of development,” (Attwood, 2006, p. 2). More specifically, the pediatrician included aspects of difficulty to include social skills, friendship skills, conversational skills, pedantic speech patterns, tendency towards egocentrism and perseverative preoccupation in a particular area of interest, lack of emotional control, and an immaturity of empathetic skills. These children were noted to have difficulty attending in class and demonstrated learning deficits, along with organizational, motoric, and sensory concern. The difficulty in understanding and acknowledging autism, primarily high functioning autism or Asperger’s Syndrome, by the medical, psychological, and psychiatric community, can lead to misdiagnosis and even failure to provide the services needed for students (Autism Today, 2007). A very simplistic view of the disorder could be to consider women or girls with Asperger’s as perceiving or thinking about the world very differently than other people might (Attwood, 2006, p. 2). Autism is not a disease, or a reaction; it is a developmental neurobiological difference in brain functions. Women or girls with autism may evidence difficulty in social interactions, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and odd or restricted activities and interests. Symptoms of autism are usually recognized during the first three years of childhood (Introduction, Autism, 2007); however, higher functioning autism or Asperger’s Syndrome is often not recognized until children are of school age. The core characteristics of Asperger’s Syndrome include limited or restricted social awareness and understanding; difficulty or inability to maintain reciprocity or give and take conversationally; and intense or restricted interest in a subject (Attwood, 2006, p. 2). Certainly a young girl can exhibit immature traits, but if you suspect that there may be more "in the mix," you may ask your local school psychologist to evaluate your step-daughter, mentioning your suspicion of autistic like traits (Fattig, 2007). Many professionals are very misinformed about autism, believing only children with Kanner's sydrome represent the diagnosis. I have many free downloads at www.anniebooks.com for parents and educators regarding autism, high functioning autism, Asperger's Syndrome, and girls on the spectrum. Please let me know if you would like any more information, or have more specific questions.
