Asperger's Syndrome

I don't personally know anyone with the syndrome but I have heard and read a lot about it lately. There was a great Oprah episode with Jenny Mcarthy not to long ago. Her son was diagnosed with aspergers as well. Try her book Louder Than Words. She seems to have really done her research and her son has recovered and lives a normal life.

I dont know anything about the subject but I read that you have been married to your husband that you fell in love with at 13.I too married the guy I was with since I was 13....in 98 lol.I cant wait to celebrate out 10 yr WEDDING anniversary,we dont count how long we've been together total.Anyway, I hope you get through this and I hope you get lots of support.

Hi S.,

Like with most problems, the best way to get to the root is to remove the interference. Asperger's is different but closely associated with autism, ADD, ADHD and the like. I have a friend who has an autistic child and the upper cervical chiropractor has had a lot of good results and suggested detoxifying the house. (The school of course is a different subject) Chemicals that are used around the house contain many, many nuero-toxins. Chlorine Bleach (invented as a neuro-toxin by our military), Windex and Pledge are among the worst. My daughter had a diagnosis of ADHD and when we detoxed the house, the diagnosis vanished. I know Asperger's is serious, but you may be able to remove some very dangerous stimuli just by removing the toxins. It is possible that if the toxins were removed, the diagnosis would change or shift.
The worst thing that could happen if you did get the chemicals out of the house is that everybody feels better and you may have more energy to deal with your son.

Chiropractic by someone who is experienced with children with these types of disorders can also give you quite a bit of advice.

Good luck to you and email me if you would like to talk.

M.

Hi. I used to work in the public schools in special education and let me tell you, the squeeky wheel gets oiled first. The process is soooooo slow it is unreal. Usually the kids with the worst behavior who are sent to the principal's office all the time or kids with parents who are always calling are the ones who get staffed first. One more thing to note is that in my opinion public schools are not equipped to really handle kids with disablities. I don't know how it is where your child goes but it seems like most special ed programs consist of putting all the special ed kids in one room with one teacher disregarding age or disablities. There is no way one teacher can be expected to help all those children. It is more like babysitting time. When I was teaching I had 12 children in my room at one time without any aids. I had children k-5 in my room. I had every kind of disabliity you could imagine. Of course the behavior disorder kids got the most attention just to protect the other children. It was awful. The other special ed teachers were so worn out they were not willing to try to rearrange schedules and children so it would work better. I just wanted to tell you that so you wouldn't expect the schools to really help your child. I would suggest you get outside help. Hope that helps.

Hi S.
I have a 10 year old with autism. You have to stay on the school district to get them to do anything. You really do have to fight for any assistance in the classroom. My son gets 3 and 1/2 hours of ABA Therapy at school but it took me forever to get it because they didn't think that he needed it because he didn't have behavior problems at school. After several IEP's I was able to get the therapy for him and he is doing so much better at school and at home. Just be prepared. Call the district every day if you need to and you can schedule an IEP whenever you want. If you have to schedule one a week to get them to do what they are supposed to do it. Research, Research, Research. Go into your IEP prepared and get as much of a support system that you can. Are you in Horry County School District? If you are I can give you some contacts that can help you with all of this. Don't let them push you around. Feel free to e-mail me if you need to. The tantrums can be so difficult to deal with!

Asperger's is a lot like autism but I believe people with Asperger's are almost always "high functioning" while some people autism can be quite the opposite. Your son can do great things but will need lots of attention. There is a doctor in Dallas, TX (my home) who also has Asperger's (Dr.William Booth--ophthalmologist) but because of his ability to concentrate so well, he's performed thousands of lasik surgeries and is the official ophthalmologist to many of the pro teams in Dallas. Basically--he's a millionaire. So try not to get too frustrated because your son is capable of doing a lot-- just give the school a friendly reminder occasionally because schools do seem to get bombarded with requests around this time of year due to trying to get their students placed before the state exams start in the spring. Good luck to you!

Hi S.,
That's a tough situation you're going through. Glad to hear that the school is working on helping him.
There's a counselor in town who is great with Asperger's. She has had several young clients with Asperger's and I believe she also helps the parents with the situation. If you would like her info, please email me at ____@____.com and I would be happy to give it to you.

I have an older child with Aspy/ADHD. She doesn't go to school so I can't help you there but I definately know how difficult it can be when they just don't "get it".
If you want to email me and chat you're welcome to! ____@____.com

Call the guidance counselor and demand a response within 3 days. If you don't hear anything, call the principal and again demand a response within 3 days, if nothing go to the board. Public schools are overwhelmed but that is NO reason for them not following up on your son's testing. All that does is put him further and further behind.

If you have further concerns of ADD/ADHD you'll have to have him evaluated by either his ped or a psychiatrist though, the school can't diagnose him (they may ask for input from your son's teacher though). Find one who specializes in children with other medical issues and make an appointment. Your healthcare should cover this assessment but you'll probably need to call and get pre-approval from your insurance.

Good luck and get ready to battle for your son; unfortunately it's usually an uphill battle when dealing with the school systems and high-need children.

I am hoping by now you have gotten some good answers for your son and yourself. The type and quality of services you can get for your son vary from school system to school system. Where I live we have amazing services in the schools. My son is an Aspie and has resource teachers/paras who come in his regular classroom and help during a small part of writing each day. He is also pulled out during extra math time (something where he is extremely gifted to receive extra help in social skills. The Gray Center for Social Learning, has a wonderful website and an article about the positive, wonderful parts of Asperger's that you may find particularly uplifting.

I see you got some information from other posters, unfortunately, some of it really painted the school systems in a poor light. Not all schools, nor all special ed departments are like the ones listed in your responses. I am a special ed teacher. I have 6 Mild intellectually disabled children and a parapro. My students get much attention and make nice progress. So please don't be too discouraged. BUT it is very true...if you need some help for your son, be the squeaking wheel. It will get better results. If he is well behaved and doing well. It is harder to get services. Start calling the directors etc. if needed. They are busy and will get the school to help you...just so they don't have to deal with you.