possible aspergers?

Question

my son is curently underdoing tests for aspergers or adhd he is so unhappy in school thayt he was hitting his head against the doorframe yesterday should i withdraw him now before he gets any worse school says they canot do anything untill they have a definate diagnosis and teachers will carry on punishing him as a naughty child my heart is breaking for him surely this is abuse

I have done a traffic light system for him which puts the onus on the teachers to recognise the signs off a kick off but have been told they will not use two different ways off handling a child, he is 12 years old, and very bright

Answer 1

My 5 year old son has aspergers syndrome and what the teachers are doing will make him worse. I find that the time out method is best though the age difference between our sons MAY make a difference. Your son won't be able to tell that the teachers are cross they need to make sure that he is looking at him and state slowly and clearly to him if he is doing wrong. My daughter has ADHD and I use the traffic light system with her as advised by her clinical psychologist is a great tried and tested method, so good luck.

Also please don't withdraw your son, children with aspergers hate change and the change will probably make his behaviour worse.

PS By saying that the teachers must tell your son that he is doing wrong, I don't mean that your son is at fault, what I mean is to tell him that he could hurt himself by banging his head,

Answer 2

I would wait until the testing is done before withdrawing from him the school. It sucks that the teachers aren't trying to help him, but I would try to get a diagnosis first. I think if he does have a diagnosis of aspergers or adhd or whatever it may be, there would be other professionals in the school that can help. Unfortunately some teachers go the discipline route instead of taking the time to help out the children with special needs. I am a speech pathology grad student and I know that we do handle many of those types of situations in the school. I would most definitely wait for the diagnosis and work more with him at home until it can be resolved.

Answer 3

my son tried a few potent medications that actually made it worse. we began watching his diet minus the year of drugs and soon found out that certain things actually caused an issue with his bowel.
he has finally been properly diagnosed and is on medication that helps the "gut" regulate the serretonin in the brain.
(the serretonin in the intestine is a bit different than the ones in the brain that is why zoloft actually made the situation worse).

the issue was not apsergers and was not depression or anything else, it was simply the lack of serretonin in the gut which caused constipation....leading up to a bowel movement his emotions always seem to heighten and we knew an outburst was coming. as soon as he was able to have a bm, he would instantly mellow.....
ibs is painful. it can be constipation type, diarrhea type or a mix of both.

just a thought....adhd is way overdiagnosed and the medications doctors use are always risky.
if it is found out that he tests for adhd (usually a quick 10 minutes in a psych office and your kid is on drugs!)-nonetheless, if they prescribe ritalin or adderall...please do me one favor....both parents take one. see how it makes you feel and monitor how you feel once the meds wear off, including the following day...i can guarantee you wont give him the meds.

there is however, one called Strattera....it is non stimulating, but you run the risk of high blood pressure as a side effect.

true adhd is when a child can't stop doing whatever it is he is doing...., runs with scizzors type thing, loud voice, full of excitement all the time and it's all the time....i mean nonstop unless you can get him calmed down long enough to fall asleep....if a child can watch his favorite show without this type of behaviour, your child is NOT adhd....his learning type hasn't been figured out yet.

teach him behaviour control...do not give in even if he throws a tantrum, things ect.....and please do not put him in social devlopement, because this class is for those with aspergers and torretts ect and he will just pick up on their behaviour as well.

chances are aspergers or adhd are not what he has.

weigh all possibilities first...

for adhd, you give a child a medication, once the medications are stopped, the problem is still there.

chemicals or emotional modification....?
i'd go for the emotional modification.....drugs suck.

Answer 4

I taught a lad with asperger's syndrome. It was difficult at first because he had absolutely no control over his emotions. Every time he was told off he'd fly off the handle and scream (crying). We learned how to ignore his reactions and had to teach his classmates to do the same. When he'd calmed down we'd explain to him why he'd been told off and eventually, those discussion sessions DIDN'T result in the same emotional outburst (at first they did ....!) and he became able to apologise, or explain why he was upset (or whatever). Luckily, he was in a small, caring class and within a couple of years became a very well liked boy (even though the crying fits still continued, but nowhere near as bad as he got older). I taught him for three years and in that time it was wonderful to see how he was able to control his behaviour. It was all such an effort for him. But like I say, he was very lucky to be in a small class where the teachers were able to give him that extra bit of time.
I wish you and your son every happiness. I hope he is as lucky.

Answer 5

Take him out of school. He isn't learning any way. Not when he is so upset. The school should do a lot more than treat him like a naughty child. I would not put him back later either. There must be other schools in your area.

Answer 6

it could be aspergers. i would speak to the principle, im sure you already have though, about the situation. if they arent willing to work with you, take him out of school. the school obviously isnt going to help.