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Autism/PPD vs asynchronous development

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Expert: - 8/2/2009


Question
Does anyone have information on what to look for as far as distinguishing a very smart and highly gifted (tested and verified with national tests) 6 year old boy who may have something called 'asynchronous development' associated with being gifted versus possibly having anxiety disorder/PPD/asperger syndrome?  We are currently seeing a child psychologist (3 visits so far) and working on non-medicine solutions to help him from over-reacting to situations and having tantrums.

Answer
Hi CA,

"Asynchronous development" would mean his intellect is ahead of his emotional and biological age. That, in my opinion, is part of the definition of "gifted," particularly in young children.

Many gifted kids "over-react" because they are much more aware of the possibilities of a situation. They tend to worry more over the details, so they appear anxious. Being so aware can be overwhelming to an otherwise normal six year old. Emotionally, he's a little boy, intellectually, he's nearly a teenager.

If his behavior is severely behind is biological age, ie: he's behaving like a three year old, then I would be concerned about Asperger's or other disorder. Children with Asperger's syndrome are usually emotionally delayed. This does not mean they never mature, only that they are behind their peers by about three years. This gap persists into early adulthood. However, a gifted "Aspie" can attain full adult behavior by his/her mid-twenties, provided others are not making excuses for bad behavior and the child has been required to be responsible for his/her actions and deal with the logical consequences.

I would like to hear more about your son and his tantrums. I may be able to share some parenting ideas that could be helpful. He sounds a lot like our daughter. (She is now 24, a college graduate and fully employed adult.)

Seeing the psychologist is a good idea. He an do some testing. But, I would not rush to diagnosis unless things are very severe.

I look forward to hearing more from you,

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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