This phrase has been uttered by 7 doctors now. I thought we hit gold with doctor #8, but things have not been settling well with me and I don't feel like I am on the right course with my son. I need to know if I am just not accepting his true diagnosis, or if he possibly has been misdiagnosed.
My son is 6, and we initially started seeking help because he was on the verge of getting kicked out of preschool at age 4. He was inattentive, hyper, would bump into other kids on purpose, didn't listen to the teacher, and - OUR biggest concern - he had no currency. He did what he wanted, when he wanted to, and no punishment or bribe could deter him. If I asked him why he hit another child, it was always "because I wanted to." We saw psychiatrists, social workers, therapists, pedis, you name it, and no one could figure him out. The only lead we ever got (and from most everyone) was it "might" be Aspergers. I took that lead and made an appointment with a very well known dev pedi in the autism field.
She did 4 days of testing. According to the results - he scored just below the cutoff for a spectrum disorder, and the Slosson IQ test showed a 150 IQ. His results from the scoring by his teachers on the social aspects put him in the normal category, however. He is missing almost ALL of the hallmarks of Aspergers - no obsessions, no adherence to routine whatsoever (he actually craves change!), he engages in conversations with other kids just fine now (he was more of a loner in kindergarten tho). He claims he doesn't like other kids because most of them are boring. The dev pedi still diagnosed him as an Aspie and at that time, I was grateful to have a name for what we were dealing with and started reading up on books. Shortly after the dev pedi testing, he was also tested at school for G&T and tested into the program rather easily.
So naturally, for the past year I have been devouring books on Aspergers. However, I am finding myself skipping over multiple chapters as it just doesn't fit my kid at all. A lot of the previous issues are no longer relevant. His fine motor - which was an issue at the time of testing - is now completely at grade level. He has matured and no longer bumps into or is aggressive with other kids. And we've eliminated his tantrums and hyperactivity through diet (Feingold, plus removing casein, gluten and soy). He still doesn't have a currency, but I have found that he will listen to me and comply if I provide a rational, logical explanation.
I just started reading this book - Misdiagnosis of Gifted Kids - and in the beginning, they list the problems that highly/profoundly gifted kids often present with. ALL of my son's issues are on this list! I was floored!
So now I googled and found you all.
I am looking for advice or guidance on this issue. Could it be that my son was misdiagnosed? If so, are there gifted "testing centers" or the like (like autism centers have) that can find out if he is highly gifted, and this is the cause of his issues? If you have a child like this and find that the Aspergers diagnosis DOES fit, could you link me to information, as what I'm finding isn't cutting it? And finally, how would you approach the dev pedi with this new information - the book is controversial and she is very well respected in her field, I feel like I really need to have my "ducks in a row" so to speak before I challenge her diagnosis?
Thanks so much!
Stacy
