Aspergers

My little boy is being assessed for Aspergers soon. He has a few symptoms like he's extremely intolerant to noises like the hoover, hairdryer drilling etc but he's very affectionate. I'd like to know if he has a certain condition just so I can help him more and understand him more, but I think people get too bogged down with labels these days. I could not care less if he has it he is just unique

ziggy23 wrote: »

My little boy is being assessed for Aspergers soon. He has a few symptoms like he's extremely intolerant to noises like the hoover, hairdryer drilling etc but he's very affectionate. I'd like to know if he has a certain condition just so I can help him more and understand him more, but I think people get too bogged down with labels these days. I could not care less if he has it he is just unique

I had this as a kid as well and in my case it was something called "hyperacusis", which is actually an abnormality in the ear, either caused by slightly weaker bones around the ear (leading to more sound getting through) or an excess of "hair cells" (the nerves which actually receive sound input).

If he's affectionate then he probably doesn't have AS.Intolerance to noise might just mean he has very strong hearing. And it could, in my case, also mean he'll eventually be able to play musical instruments completely by ear, which is a gift I am immensely thankful for and has made my life a bajillion times more fun than it otherwise would be

All this is just my opinion, but IMO don't label kids before they're in late adolescence, at the earliest.

Ranicand wrote: »

I have taken that test and others here is one of my results.

I don't have an official diagnosis I am trying my best to get one.

Where does one take that test you linked an image of? I've seen it before but can't remember where

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Does he really need to be assesed, We all have our kinks growing up and even as adults, I was never a fan of the Hoover or hairdryer and I can be pretty intolerant when I get going.
He sounds like a normal young chap, he'll grow up and adjust to those things as he gets older. The last thing I'd be doing is giving him medication or paying for therapy.

Hiya the health nurse referred him to the early intervention clinic. He's not specifically being assessed for Aspergers but it's one of the things they'll be looking out for as well as Autism and ADHD.He has had speech problems too so I think they just link it all in together. He has been on the waiting list for a year and in that time he has improved alot apart from the noise issue.To be honest I dont think he has Aspergers but it's no harm to get him assessed. They do it through play so he'll actually enjoy it I'd say. Yes I think he's just a 'spirited' little boy. He's a great kid
Oh and btw I wouldn't dream of putting him on medication :O

ziggy23 wrote: »

To be honest I dont think he has Aspergers but it's no harm to get him assessed.

Potentially. The harm would come from labelling or treating him differently because of it. Being a naive kid like I was, simply being told I had a 'syndrome' upset me as at the time I'd only ever heard the word used in the context of people who have a serious illness, and for a good few months I woke up every morning looking at myself in the mirror and thinking "seriously man, there's nothing wrong with you just ignore it, you're grand"
Can be very upsetting at that age to learn that you are "scientifically" considered unusual. Or maybe that was just me.

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

To be honest I self-diagnosed mine purely based on the fact that my hearing is a good 3 or 4 times stronger than anyone else I know in terms of distance. I actually get woken up at night by the sounds of cars driving 3 or 4 roads away from my house. Fall asleep in a busy room or with a TV blaring? Not a hope.
I also hear things that almost nobody else does. Like I'm usually the one to say "Was that the doorbell?" when we're watching something loud and no one else noticed it. I have to wear earplugs in nightclubs and even then step outside every half hour or so because I just can't hack the volume level at all, and when I share headphones with someone else (one earphone each kind of thing) it never works since my iphone's volume becomes intolerable for me at about 25% when a lot of my mates can't hear it at all below 40

I personally wouldn't recommend getting it "treated" as I can only imagine 'treating' it by somehow lowering hearing threshold would have the side effect of wrecking your ability to perceive music in the same way. It gets better as your get older - I haven't run from the house at the sound of a food processor since I was age 10 or so - but some things like sirens and motorbike engines will probably always make me jam my hands over my ears until they're gone

Yes I suppose he's only a baby still and he'll get used to it over time I must do some more research on it I thought it had to be treated. He actually loves the noise of sirens its just kind of white noise he hates. He actually gets hysterical its very distressing for him:( but hey I have an excuse for not hoovering my house:p

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Potentially. The harm would come from labelling or treating him differently because of it. Being a naive kid like I was, simply being told I had a 'syndrome' upset me as at the time I'd only ever heard the word used in the context of people who have a serious illness, and for a good few months I woke up every morning looking at myself in the mirror and thinking "seriously man, there's nothing wrong with you just ignore it, you're grand"
Can be very upsetting at that age to learn that you are "scientifically" considered unusual. Or maybe that was just me.

He is only 3 so I wouldnt be explaining Aspergers to him. I understand where you are coming from though and part of me thinks I shouldn't bring him but then if a health professional recommended it I probably shouldn't ignore that.

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Kids doing you a favour, he's a bloke true and true, no interest in hairdryer or Hoover.
ADD is normal as well, I would have been medicated up to the eyeballs if it had of been invented 20 years ago. He gets bored easily and gets giddy, that's normal for people who get bored easily.

Thats true:D
It would be far more likely he has ADHD than Aspergers but tbh I think he is just a normal hyper toddler with the attention span of a fly! I think medication is just in extreme cases. He wears me out but he is manageable. I'm used to his routines and quirks now and I wouldn't want anyone stepping in and trying to change him. It is tough though especially when other people butt in and question some of the things he does.

Hi just wanted to post here. I am currently a trainee psychologist with experience in the ID sector.

The test that some of you have taken online was never intended to be a diagnostic tool, but rather something used to indicate particular autistic type behaviours. Research using this test has been shown for it to be not that reliable in terms of diagnostics. It's also a forced choice questionnaire, and does not take into account the context of the situation. For example "I am not good at remembering phone numbers"...Can you tell me a situation where you would have to push yourself to remember one given we can google numbers & store them on our phones etc.

Think of it in terms of the introvert-extrovert scale. We can be a little introverted, a lot introverted, extroverted sometimes. When someone is 3/4 of the way along to being extremely introverted, we do not stop to say "you have a introversion disorder". The autism quotient simply reflects how we describe our behaviour at one point in time.

If you would like to see if you have a diagnosed, persist with asking your GP to be referred to a psychologist or psychiatrist (you may have to go private-services are very stressed and most will be diagnosed as children). Neuropsychological tests can be used to diagnose the condition, and it has to be diagnosed according to DSM IV criteria http://www.autreat.com/dsm4-aspergers.html

Trinity runs a great AS support service and they have some videos up about living with AS. It's an interesting perspective. I would urge you not to self diagnose, because you limit yourself in accessing proper support systems. If you do self diagnose and you feel you have aspergers but you are not distressed by it, then there is no need to seek a formal diagnosis.