Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Autism?? Aspergers??

Hi kd

I recently had my DS 4 tested because of very similar reasons to yours. He was flipping out a lot, tantrums with hands over his ears. The child care centre he went to 2 days a week suggested perhaps autism. We thought a very bored gifted child with possibly aspergers or adhd. He can't sit still, has this thing with his feet so that they need to touch everything so he was showing some signs of being on the spectrum.

We were lucky enough to have referral to a fabulous psychologist who specializes in both giftedness and autism. She said yes on the giftedness and nowhere on the autism spectrum. She expected that any behavioral problems were to do with him being under stimulated. At around the same time we made some changes so he had far more stimulation - he now goes to 3 different schools each week and he's like a new child and the tantrums have disappeared. Like all gifted boys he's still hard work though!

So if your DS has started some of these behaviors since starting at school (I noticed you said he was unhappy at school) it may be that he is so stressed by being under stimulated it's causing him to behave in this way. It may also be adhd/aspergers so it would be great if you could find a psychologist who specializes in 2G to assess him so both possibilities could be considered.

I would say that, from my terrible experiences with a mainstream school system (I go to a school with people with behavioral problems/emotional problems, as I experienced moderate depression and have anxiety, though with both an imaginational as well as emotional overexitability, I'm starting to doubt it), you could talk to a pediatrician, or a specialist. But,in my opinion, what a parent thinks is slightly more valid, because you see your child every day, not just observe them like he's a wild animal.

Thanks! We have an appointment with a child psychologist on Thursday, so hopefully he'll cooperate and "be himself" so the doc doesn't think I'm imagining things

I just want to make sure that the counselor/psych is knowledgable about gifted children. I am not sure if you have seen all of the information about wrongly diagnosing GT's as having ADHD/ADD because of the strong overlap of characteristics. The fact that the ped. right away jumped to that conclusion and recomm. meds is a bit frightening to me. You DC very well MAY have ADHD/ADD as well as be gifted, I just wanted to make sure that you were aware of the high chance of wrongly diagnos. and to find out if the couns./psych is familiar with GT's.
GOOD LUCK!

Up until '08, my pediatricians weren't...all that good. One doctor mistook my seasonal asthma for croup! But since we have great doctors now, I would have to agree with Grinity by saying trust the pediatrician (and your instincts; the insticts part was learned from watching too much "Mystery Diagnosis")! Pediatricians are usually easier to trust, unless they were like my pediatricians from '00-'07, because remember, it's always great to know a trustworthy doctor!

The first meeting went very well today with the psychologist. He was in RARE form, being super ornery and not listening... We're having another meeting next Tuesday to follow up and get his take on what's going on. I did mention that he is gifted, and he did mention how surprised he was that he reads so well...

That's great, KD-- always good when the kids rise (sink?) to the occasion. Is the psych doing a battery of standardized tests, or just getting a sense of your DS through conversation?

DeeDee

LOL! Isn't that the truth... He did a few tests with him yesterday and said he'd do more on Tuesday, he talked with him a bit yesterday as well. Said he'd have a better idea of the evaluations next week.

Ok, so we went again tonight and he did some more evaluations. He said that he suspects he has ADHD, but a mild/moderate form. He said it's hard to determine because he is so intelligent that it's masking some of the "behaviors" of the ADHD. He said he also suspects that he may have Oppositional Defiant Disorder, but it might be easier to diagnose in about a year.

He suggested that we do a trial of the meds plus a strict reward system at home. DH actually is ok with trying the meds now that we've gone this route. He said that he's upset that we know now because, basically, now there's "something wrong". I said that there's nothing "wrong" with him, just something we need to address. I told him that I wanted to get it addressed ASAP because I remember the hell my parents went through (I suspect I also have ADD/ADHD but was never diagnosed) and that I don't want to go through all the crap they went through with me. And I was an only child...

I forgot to add, he had me to an evaluation (I forgot the name of it) and based on my scores asked him some questions for depression. I guess the "cut-off" is 10 and he got 23. He said that it may be because of the negative feedback he gets at home due to his behavior. He said that if we don't address it now, it could become much worse.

KD, that sounds like progress, even if you're not totally sure yet. A couple of things your post made me think of:

(1) Not to scare you, but if your child gets overly hyper, or irritable, or sleepless, that can be a side effect of ADHD meds. Just something to watch for and report back to the doc. It can take a while to get the dosing and choice of med correct and tailored to the child. There are a lot of different meds for ADHD, so it's not a big deal if the first one doesn't work well.

(2) Is it worthwhile (and possible) to schedule a followup with the psych, just you and your DH, to work through the issue of his feeling there is something "wrong" with the child? It's still the same kid, the label doesn't change him, but your DH's feelings can have a huge impact on the child if they're not addressed.

Kudos to you for following through...
DeeDee