Expert: James Michael Roan - 10/14/2006

Question
I guess I'll go in order of your questions:
1. Until recently he did have a problem with pronouns, but that problem has seemed to resolve.  Garrett does talk in what some people have called a "Sing Song" voice. He also does not understand idioms. He really does not "get" metaphors and similies.  Everything is very literal in meaning for him.

2. His social interactions are limited because his interests are so limited.  He is "immature" for his age, and his peers see him as younger than they even though he is oldest in his class. Garrett also doesn't seem to "get" people and their feelings although he seeks out aknowledgement from them. He WANTS to be social.  He likes people.

3. Obsessive?  YES!!! Only blue or red toys.  Sword fighting or toys that have swords.  Garrett does not stray outside of his comfort activities when he plays.  Only Midevil battles, Samauri fights or the like. Books and video games also the same topic. Garrett does not really participate in play by choice unless the theme is in this area.  Also extremely obsessive about the foods he eats. Not much and only a few items on his menu.  Also cartoons really excite him. He really won't watch anything else.  Things outside of his interests seem to be very difficult for Garrett to grasp.

4. Garrett started having "meltdowns" in pre-school. The staff dealt with it well. Three weeks into kindergarden we took him out of public school and homeschooled him.  Garrett was getting violent with his teachers and starting to throw things. He seemed to get very frustrated.  He just started a private school this fall and so far he seems OK.

5. At times Garrett seems to see right through you and will not hear you when you speak to him.  He needs to be moving to learn or concentrate. He tires physically easily and has weak musculature. Garrett also seems to make very poor judgement calls.  He will sit in the middle of a busy street, he will wander off without even realizing that he had, etc. He does not seem to understand danger.

Any other info I can give you please contact me.  Thanks for your assistance.

Terri

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Followup To

Question -
My son, Garrett, just turned 8 years old and was diagnosed with ADD by his pediatrician about 2 years ago.  Garrett didn't talk at all until he was 3 years old and that was after about 6 months of Speech Therapy.  The Speech Pathologist diagnosed Garrett with Apraxia.  As he got a little older, we noticed more areas of concern.  His motor skills were lacking, especially his fine motor skills.  To this day he still has problems even holding a pencil.  He loves and is very good at Martial Arts, but he can't get his hands and feet together to ride a tricycle.  The school services that were now helping him told us he had Dyspraxia.  Garrett has sensory issues.  Noises are too loud for him but he talks very loudly. He needs to be touching things all the time, something in his hands. A Sensory therapist told us that Garrett has many sensory issues.  He has so many diagnoses that I really don't know what he has or how to best help him.  Can you help?  I have little resources but I need to do what's best for Garrett.  Where di I turn for help?

Answer -
Hi Terri;

I'll do what I can to help you out, but I need a little more information about your son:

1. How is his pronoun usage? Does he refer to himself as "I" or by name? Does he get "he" and "she" confused? Does he have an unusual tone or fluctuation of voice when speaking? How is his understanding of idioms such as: "Oh, are you pulling my leg?" etc. Does he tend to take them literally?

2. How are his social skills and interactions with peers? Please provide detail of strengths and weaknesses.

3. Does he have a special topic of interest that really excites him? What is it and what is the intensity of his interest, i.e. obsessive in nature?

4. How is his behavior at school? Does he have meltdowns? Any aggressive behavior?

In general, are there any unusual features or "quirkiness" about him? Please elaborate.

Kind regards,
James  

Answer
Hi Terri;

Thank you for the details. Although I do not diagnose over the internet, I am quite certain your son has Asperger's Syndrome (AS), which is a form of high functioning autism. Tony Attwood has a new book and very conservatively priced DVDs on his web site. There are also some very good forums for parents and individuals with AS.

The attention deficit is actually an "executive dysfunction." It is too involved for me to go into here but it is important to thoroughly understand so you can appreciate how, in addition to a literal thinking style, Garrett processes information and learns.

Other than the social competence delays, the future is quite bright for individuals with AS. The social competence delays, however, can result in bullying, depression, and anxiety from the age of 8 onward.

Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Kind Regards,
James