Expert: Catherine Ridenour - 10/5/2006

Question
No, he was diagnosed with Asperger's at the age of 6. He is 18 and he is two credits shy of Graduating high school.  He's fits of anger have increased over the past two months to the point that he was baker acted twice.  He is just now taking meds for the first time. Lithium, risperdal and paxil.  We live in the Fort Lauderdale Area and I don't know where to turn to for help for him.  I am trying to find a psychiatrist in the area that is familiar with treating kids with his condition. It is very heart breaking to see him go through the mental struggle that he is going through.  He has always been very functioal in the past.  Since he has started taking the "cocktails" of meds, he has gotten worse.  As I'm sure you know getting on MEDS is a trial and error situation.  He wants to go to college but refuses to go to night school to finish the two lacking credits to get his diploma.  I feel he is not trust worthy to get a license and drive on his own. His impluse control has lead him to do things that are not legal. His fixation was playing his guitar and writing poetry, now because of the drugs he has no desire to do none.  WE NEED HELP!
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Followup To

Question -
My son is 18.  What services are out there for kids w-Asberger's.  What medications have you heard have been sucessful?

Answer -
Hi Marcy,

It sounds like you just got a diagnosis for him?

At 18, the services he can receive depend on his function level. If he is able to attend college, he can probably get a few accomodations such as early registration and more time on tests.

Where you live can have a great effect on what resources are available to you. Type autism and your state's name into an Internet search engine and check out some of the links that come up.

If he cannot go to school or hold a job, Supplemental Security Income is available. Apply now, it can take a year to get it going.

There are no medications for Asperger's Syndrome. If he has attention deficit disorder as well, medicate that. Same for depression. Many, but not all, people on the autistic spectrum need help with these issues.

I can recommend a couple of books.

"Ask and Tell" by Stephen Shore deals with when and how to reveal a diagnosis in dealing with schools and employers.

Dr. Tony Atwood has several good books, also.

Go to www.wrongplanet.net and click on the books link at the left to see many more.

Best wishes,
Catherine

Answer
Hello, again,

This kind of anger is common in high-functioning autistics of this age. They know enough about the world to realize they can't cope with some of it, they know others don't understand them, they know they are about to be thrust out there from the comparable safety of public school and they are also ill equiped to deal with this information emotionally.

Lithium is specifically for bi-polar disorder. Though he could have this disorder, it is common for kids with Asperger's to be mis-diagnosed as fitting into this category. This one would concern me.

Risperdal is an anti-psychotic for schizophrenia. Also a common mis-diagnosis for an A.S. person. While, again, he could be schizophrenic, the likelihood that he is all three is not high.

Paxil is an antidepressant and can help with anxiety as well as depression, both of which could explain his outbursts.

I am not a doctor, but I would not throw three powerful medications at a kid all at once and expect positive results. If he does get better, which medication did it? And most of these things interact with each other and sometimes in unpredictable ways.

You do need a qualified psychiatrist. Go to the website below and see if you can get a referral.

http://www.autism-pdd.net/links/florida.html

Best wishes,
Catherine