Expert: Catherine Ridenour - 2/12/2007

Question
Hi, I want to know if my daughter has an ASD or should I just be proud of her intelligence. She will be 3 in a couple of weeks and can read 15 words so far. She has learned all of her colors, shapes, numbers, and alphabet before she was 2 and a half. She can count up to 25 with no cues, sing the alphabet in order, and count objects up to 20 with no cues. She does have speech/language delays, difficulty with fine and gross motor. She did not begin walking until she was 18 months. She does not handle transition well at all and does not tolerate other people. I have been told she has sensory issues and she receives OT also. She can play and entertain herself for hours if I aloow her to and she loves books. Please tell me what you think, I have been told everything from she is just "smart" to she has some of the symptoms of ASD. Also she does make eye contact but refuses to be touched. Thank you for your time.

Answer
Hi Kathy,

You can be sure she is very intelligent. She also sounds just like my daughter at that age.

It is very likely she has Asperger's Syndrome or High Functioning Autism. Getting a diagnosis is probably a good idea because she will be entitled to services through her school district. Without a diagnosis, she will be expected to conform to the "normal" behavior in the classroom and she will probably not be able to do it. This causes a great deal of stress.

As she gets older, the social issues will become more of a problem. It is wise to teach her skills to cope, now, rather than wait for the "bomb" to drop when she hits junior high school.

A very bright child can "hold it together" academically in grade school but the playground will be another story.

Here are some links to web sites where you can find more information and good books:

http://www.neurodiversity.com/main.html (many links to books, articles and resources)

http://www.patientcenters.com/autism/news/resources.html (books and resources)

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/asperger.htm (the definitions and government links)

http://www.autism.org/temple/meds.html (about medication)

http://www.autism.org/ (many links to information)

http://www.angelfire.com/pa5/as/asteachersites.html (teaching resources)

http://www.aspergers.com/Adolesc.htm (adolescence issues)

Best wishes,
Catherine