Expert: James Michael Roan - 3/22/2007

Question
Hello.  I've been reading on Aspergers lately and wondering if my 10 yr old daughter may have this.  She was diagnosed with ADHD when she was 6, after years of issues in pre-school.  She started on a form of Ritalin one year ago and it has helped some with her ability to focus.
Last year at the school's request and with their great support she went through another round of testing and they put her on Special Ed, for both attention issues and emotional disability.  Examples of the emotional issues were that she does not interact much with her peers, does not seek out friendships or ask about others, is often content playing alone or reading.  She would at times repeat a word to herself for the better part of a day.  Sometimes she pretended she was an animal such as a dog or cat and would growl or meow at other children.  The teacher's have commented that it takes a while for them to recognize that she is listening to lessons because she does not make eye contact so they assume she is not.  She has great difficulty with transitions because she just cannot walk away from something that is unfinished.  She must do some things in a specific way such as put the colored pencils in the box in rainbow order.  She gets intensely interested in certain things of her own choosing but will very strongly resist doing a task she is not interested in.  She loves the computer and fantasy games and characters.  She loves studying about animals and knows everything there is to know about a few types.  She cannot wear regular socks with a seam and will cry like in bad pain while getting her tangled hair brushed.  She can play with children one-on-one but will retreat into her own world if there is a crowd. She is getting poor grades in school, mainly because even when she knows the answers she will avoid writing and will give as short an answer as possible.  Her penmanship is barely legible (she's in 5th grade).
I don't know anyone with Asperger's to compare her to, to know if these are just her quirks or severe enough to warrant a review.
Could you recommend where I would go to find a good doctor for a diagnosis?  We live north of Boston, MA.
Thank you,
Sharon

Answer
Hello Sharon;

I don't believe these are quirks and they do fit with an Asperger's Syndrome profile, although I do not diagnose over the Internet. Check with the The Boston University School of medicine at: http://www.bu.edu/anatneuro/dcn/ and/or with The Children's Hospital (Boston) Developmental Medicine Center at: http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinicalservices/Site1921/mainpageS1921P0.html?...

You want someone or a team experienced at diagnosing Asperger's Syndrome/PDD-NOS in girls. Girls are socially higher functioning than boys and often go undiagnosed. Please let me know if I can help you further.

Kind regards,
James