Thread: Autistic spectrum disorder

Does anyone have any experience of this and kids?

Recently found out that my 10 year old son has been diagnosed with it, although he seems fine to me on skype. He has had a lot of problems with his motor skills, I put that down to him being a big lad and being a clumsy oaf like his dad used to be. I've seen autistic kids where t5hey dont communicate at all and show no eye contact. he's not like that, with me anyhow.

I had his Mom on the phone last night in tears, saying he confines himself to his room and his xbox and apparently he sits staring out of the window when at school. I thought we all did that
She was on about high school for him and that a private school not a mainstream school will be better for him....
I think she mentioned something about aspergers as well. she was very drunk.

Anyway, any advice will be welcome

Originally Posted by Dillinger

Does anyone have any experience of this and kids?

Recently found out that my 10 year old son has been diagnosed with it, although he seems fine to me on skype. He has had a lot of problems with his motor skills, I put that down to him being a big lad and being a clumsy oaf like his dad used to be. I've seen autistic kids where t5hey dont communicate at all and show no eye contact. he's not like that, with me anyhow.

I had his Mom on the phone last night in tears, saying he confines himself to his room and his xbox and apparently he sits staring out of the window when at school. I thought we all did that
She was on about high school for him and that a private school not a mainstream school will be better for him....
I think she mentioned something about aspergers as well. she was very drunk.

Anyway, any advice will be welcome

Sorry to read this mate.

Try here, solid info:

Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Parent’s Guide to Symptoms and Diagnosis on the Autism Spectrum


It is called autism spectrum disease becuase it covers a whole range of disorders, of which aspergers is one.

There's levels and types mate, from very light symptoms to very severe and your child may be somewhere in between. Children with Asbergers, tend to be quite bright but they need routines and lack social skills.

However, has he been diagnosed or is this a teacher suggesting he may lie somewhere on the autism spectrum with aspergers like symptoms? Important to find out.

not the end of the world, either, I should say.

Mainstream is nearly always better, if he can manage it. And if he is UK there is a load of services you can access including additional help in schools, sometimes including a shadow teacher to follow him around classes and asisst.

Think rain man or what's eating gilbert grape.

ETA : there's a bunch of different movies about autism, here IMDb: Autism in the movies - a list by weebo1980 but this comment below struck me as a good one.

" I'm autistic, and honestly only a few of these are similar to my experience. I feel the best is Temple[at]Grandin's story. I absolutely enjoyed Adam. However, the Other sister, the girl is not autistic but retarded. Autistic people have average or high intelligence - mine is a 156 IQ. Autistic people are not mentally retarded as it comes to numbers, figures, or logic. My condition was a retardation of social awareness. I could read and write at 3; but I didn't talk to anyone but my mother until age 6. It wasn't shyness - but I'd panic having to deal with others because I didn't know what to do and I didn't want to be touched. I would avoid interactions, but I could perform piano and dance on stage in front of thousands. My life is pretty normal; but there are people that are quick to think I'm stuck up and aloof, when I just didn't catch on that that I'm autistic and I didn't realize they were offended by my actions. I'm incredibly compassionate, just slow to pick up on other's people's needs and I'm constantly training myself to become more aware"

Must be very mild if it's only just been noticed.
Are they sure he just doesn't like playing on his xbox and staring out the widow?

It's not the end of the world, Dillinger. My husband has Asperger's and has had a very successful career as a photographer and cameraman.

He is fairly unaffected by his condition. It's his family, friends, and coworkers who are stressed by his strange aloof behavior.

You can take him on a card-counting trip to Vegas!

Better than betting red every time like Dirk!

High functioning austism or Aspergers (which no longer officially exists) is hardly even a disability I think. More like a personality type. It probably won't stop him from academic achievement or holding down a job as long as it is in the right field e.g. computer programmer

^Misskit said it first

I spent years looking out school house windows. I was simply bored. No challenge to be found.

I'm sure the pharmacologist is ready to start a program Dillinger. Look out!

^Got a point, Dill. Doctors are now very quick to stick labels on kids, usually with school administrators with no medical training as their allies. ADD, etc, etc, etc.

I'd try to get hold of the missus (sober) and talk to the doctor yourself before becoming too stressed. It may turn out to be just a stage.

Doctors are quick to label, in the US especially, and quicker to put kids on meds they may not need.

Good luck with it.

Originally Posted by ltnt

I'm sure the pharmacologist is ready to start a program Dillinger. Look out!

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

^Got a point, Dill. Doctors are now very quick to stick labels on kids, usually with school administrators with no medical training as their allies. ADD, etc, etc, etc.

I'd take these comments seriously - I agree.

Have sent your post to some people I know who have been specialists in the area for life and will send you their reply.

Get a second opinion.

Not from Teakdoor members.

Nothing unusual about 10 year old zoning out on consoles . They all play electronic games a lot. Teachers and classroom can't compete with that level of stimulation.

Originally Posted by The Ghost Of The Moog

Not from Teakdoor members.

So everything you say is bullshit?

Kinda defeats the point of posting.

As a parent that must be quite worrying dill, I had never heard of it, read nidhoggs link and was quite gob smacked by the info. Like you say, you don't get the impression there's something wrong when talking on Skype with him. Maybe his mums overreacting and like Davis said perhaps someone has just stuck a label of convenience on him due to there own inability to teach the lad ( had a nephew labelled as ADD , he turned out fine.
Don't think a private schools the answer though.

Originally Posted by beerlaodrinker

Don't think a private schools the answer though.

Nope, what to do now is to find out exactly what his issue is (if indeed there is one). Take your time and as Moog said (- apart from the part where he dismissed all of us alongside himself) get two(prefferably several) peoples opinion on it all.

Originally Posted by Albert Shagnastier

Originally Posted by beerlaodrinker

Don't think a private schools the answer though.

Nope, what to do now is to find out exactly what his issue is (if indeed there is one). Take your time and as Moog said (- apart from the part where he dismissed all of us alongside himself) get two(prefferably several) peoples opinion on it all.

Most of us dismissed Moog years ago.

However, my plan of attack would be to educate myself as much as possible first (hence the link, and of course there are many other good sites out there), THEN get the second opinion, so that when you talk to them you have some idea of what questions need to be asked.

^good advice

Originally Posted by Albert Shagnastier

Originally Posted by The Ghost Of The Moog

Not from Teakdoor members.

So everything you say is bullshit?

Kinda defeats the point of posting.

Sorry dill , not making light of your boys symptom, but that made me snicker. Anyway I heard withnall had aspargers to and he turned out alright?

Originally Posted by Dillinger

10 year old son

I had his Mom on the phone last night in tears, saying he confines himself to his room and his xbox

Anyway, any advice will be welcome

Go back and get involved in your son's life would be a small start. While doing that educated yourself about it, and of course him.

Originally Posted by The Ghost Of The Moog

Nothing unusual about 10 year old zoning out on consoles . They all play electronic games a lot.

Not if they have decent parents.

Dill, last thing you and the misses want to be doing now is giving it the woe is me and drowning your sorrows.

Time to step up to the plate mate.

^