Expert: James Michael Roan - 7/26/2006

Question
Thank you so much for your response..  can you lead me in a good direction?  My son hasn't seen anyone for follow-up dx except for at school and we dont do any intensive training for him.  Can you give me some examples for dr's that may assist in adult dx?

Thanks

Dee
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Followup To

Question -
I have wondered this since I my son has been dx.. he's 12 and HF autistic.. i have noticed about myself that I am disorganized to the point of almost not being functional, and I can't help it..  I talk to the point of annoying myself and I am usually tactless,but I just can't help my mouth moving faster than my brain.  I have a son that is ADD..he's 14 as well as my other son with ADHD on top of the autism, common I know.  Their counselor seems to feel as if I have ADHD myself, the odds are high that that is the case, but on top of that I have noticed the other things.  The mood swings and temper tantrums.. for lack of a better term..  I can be fine for a day or so then something will set me off and I lose it.  I'm not sure if these are a symptom of something else or not.

can you help?

Answer -
Hi Dee;

Based solely on the information you gave me, the odds are higher that you may be on the spectrum given the diagnoses of your children. You may share the concrete thinking style that cause outbursts of temper seen in people with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) or autism. People are often mislabeled with ADHD or ADD, when it is actually an "executive dysfunction." Executive dysfunction is almost always part of autism/AS. You will need a fairly thorough evaluation by a psychologist to determine if you actually have a particular problem.

Kind Regards,
James

Answer
Hi Dee;

Finding an individual to correctly diagnose you may be difficult. You need a psychologist who is very experienced in adult Asperger's, which is rare. You will need a psychologist who knows how to distinguish Asperger's from a nonverbal learning disability. If I was the psychologist I would:

1. Give an IQ test.
2. An Asperger's-specific social history questionnaire to your parent(s) and/or siblings.
3. A social/emotional rating form to you and your parents, or significant other.
4. An assessment of your executive functioning.
5. Asperger-specific assessments (Australian AS Scale; Gilliam Asperger's Disorder Scale).
6. Assess your recognition of emotion in self and others.
7. Your ability to read emotions in the eyes of others.
8. Your understanding of social sequences.

Google your local area for "Psychologist" + "adult."

Print off this email when you are talking to them and ask them what they will be doing as part of your assessment. Compare that to what I have outlined. I will be happy to comment before you commit your resources.

Kind Regards,
James