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Autism/Could she be on the spectrum too?

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Expert: - 4/9/2009


Question
Hi! Thank you for taking time to answer my question.

We live in Ontario Canada and have 4 children aged 9, 7, 3 and 1. Our 9 year old son has Aspergers syndrome and our 3 yr. old daughter is being assessed for it as she has been showing many sensory issues.  These two children have always been very well behaved at home yet difficult to handle when in the care of others.  Our 7 yr. old daughter is said to be NT as she shows no troubling behavior at school.
She has however shown speech delay with only slow progress over the years with speech therapy.  She understands words but has difficulty pronouncing words with no medical reason.  At school she is an angel, at home she is very difficult.  Defying authority at every turn, screaming, hitting,yelling,swearing ect... Then today for no reason she began hitting and kicking her older brother and then took off running up the street and across the busy street, nearly being hit by a car.  We ran after her until a passerby stopped their vehicle and apprehended her for us. She can't answer us why.  It was a terrifying experience.
Our oldest AS child never displayed these behaviors and they are concerning to us as parents.
We love our children dearly and want to help them all, but no one will assess our 7 yr old because she does not exhibit these behaviors at school.  Is she acting out because of the special needs of her siblings?  Or could it be a different presentation of ASD?
She will make eye contact, enjoys being around her peers, does not handle change well and is very impulsive, yet fragile at the same time.  She is our own personal hurricane!
Thank you!

Danielle

Answer
Hi Danielle,

Given the speech delay and communication issues, I would say this is a different presentation of autism or A.S. Such a severe delay, in and of itself, should trigger evaluation for an ASD.

Just because she does not act out at school does not mean she does not have it. Both the home behavior and the school behavior should be taken into account.

Keep trying to get a professional to listen to you about your daughter.

Best wishes,
Catherine

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Catherine Ridenour

Expertise

I can answer your questions about parenting your High Functioning Autisic or Asperger`s Syndrome child. In particular, questions about family life, discipline, siblings, finding resources, and working with (sometimes opposing) the educational system are welcome.

Experience

I am the parent of an Asperger's Syndrome child who is now 22 years old. She went undiagnosed for 14 years of her life, so I have done extensive reading and Internet research into the possible cause of her difficulties. Even a short 8 years ago, A.S. was practically unheard of by the public educational system.

We fumbled our way through her childhood and early adolescence without any effective outside support. In some ways, that may have been a blessing as we were focused on her abilities rather than a label for her disability. However, I can think of many times when knowing WHY would have been comforting.

Had we known very early on, some social skills interventions might have made her life in school easier. At this point, I like her for who she is so I do not regret how things have turned out. More importantly, she likes herself.

Education/Credentials
I have a Bachelor of Science in Education.

I have worked to educate myself about Autism in general and HFA/AS in particular.

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