Hi Stacy,
My DS9 has AS. Here's what I think.
He claims he doesn't like other kids because most of them are boring.
That may not be something to take at face value. It is really important, regardless of IQ, to be able to have reciprocally rewarding relationships with peers. This statement may mean "they're boring" or it may mean "I don't know how to deal with them." Or both.
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.
How are the peer relationships? Does he seek the company of other kids, and does he know how to engage them?
Do you ever get compliance without lots of explanation?
You didn't say a lot about the symptoms you were seeing, so I'm not going to attempt an armchair diagnosis. There is a huge range of how the symptoms are expressed in AS-- it's a "syndrome," which means a bunch of features that tend to occur in clumps, but almost nobody has them all, and each person's expression of it looks different.
But elsewhere in this thread you expressed concern about doing the wrong therapies. I would never make decisions about therapy based on a diagnosis anyway-- I would make them based on what symptoms we want to ameliorate.
I wouldn't send a kid to OT because of an AS diagnosis-- but if he had a funny pencil grip, poor motor planning, etc., I would send him.
I wouldn't send him to social skills therapy because of the diagnosis alone, but if he had trouble connecting with peers, I would. And so on.
I'd suggest you not get hung up on the diagnosis, and instead take a frank look at what issues you and his teachers are seeing. If there are things that look like they need work, find a way to work on them, and use the diagnosis to get help for that if it's useful. And change the plan as things improve or different issues crop up.
DeeDee
