I was ready to have him evaluated again to confirm the AS diagnosis, or to have another diagnosis given, but now he seems so close to 'normal' that I don't really feel that this is necessary. It seems that almost all of the quirks, in all areas, that were present between the ages of 5-7 have melted away in the past six months.
My question: Could this ever occur with a PG child who really has AS? ...If not AS, could this be a PG child with NVLD? I'm not too familiar with the behaviors, so I would really appreciate any insight into either scenario.
Personally, based on extensive - but perhaps slightly dated - reading, I wouldn't go after a NVLD, unless it is a recognized and accomidated disorder according to your local school system. The bottom line on NVLD - based on my reading - is that it is a collection of challenges that flock together that are treated individually. So, from a practical point of view, unless the school system is willing to make accomidations, one treat a NVLD-diagnosed kid with speech issues, fine motor and gross motor issues the exact same way you'd treat a non-diagnosed kid with speech issues, fine motor and gross motor issues: speech therapy, OT and PT. Each of the issues is either clinically significant on it's own or not. Not every kid with NVLD has all the potential weakness. My guess is that your kid - being PG - gets jokes and, at least to some degree, gets metaphorical speech. If he can tell when a person is being sarcastic or not, then he's doing really well.
AS is a Developmental Disorder, that means that with time and effort, all people with AS make progress, some more than others. Some probably never make enough progress to 'pass.' Many others do, and having a PG brain is certianly a potentially big help if the individual is motivated to catch up to normal. There are also some Executive Functioning strengths in planning and perseverance that can be leveraged if present. I'm thinking about Temple Grandon - she's come so very far, yes?
On the other hand, the thing to remember is that as your child ages, the bar is being raised all the time, and while it's great that he's caught up for now, this doesn't nescessarily mean that he won't lag againg when the next challenge presents itself (yup, I'm thinking middle school and hormones and the behavior of other kids under the influence of hormones.) Look up 'Residual AS' for more on people who 'outgrow' their AS.
Personally, I think that when a child is PG, then 'all bets are off' regarding prognosis on any other challenge that they may encounter. I think that with PG, other diagnosis nearly always have to be 'streched' to fit a PG kid. I say, develop 2 perspectives and become really good at switching between them:
1) Wow, isn't my kid amazing for being able to do so well with even though he has this serious challenge.
2) Nah, he doesn't really have X, no limitations on his potential, he's just on his own developmental path.
Hope that helps,
Grinity
