Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Is this normal?

Yep. Also, I just wanted to add that it's my understanding that a lot of gifted people (more than the rest of the populace anyway) show some traits associated with Asperger's, without actually having it; there's a sort of continuum of Aspergerness. So I wouldn't be alarmed at this stage, and I wouldn't necessarily make it my top priority for testing, though I would probably get it done just to lay any remote suspicions to rest. Good luck, amazedmom.

ETA: What shellymos said.

Thank you all so much! It doesn't feel like aspurgurs to me, but just didn't feel right. It really helps hearing all of yall's stories. I just checked out the overexcitabilitis, and wow...that fits. So I am going to have to show that to DH.

Karin! Hey! It's so good to "see" you. We actually only did 5 lessons in right start. Ansley hasn't been in the mood and we have been busy doing other stuff. So I have just put it aside for now. I figure we'll get to it when she wants. I have left the abacus out and she has been using that herself. She's been more focused on other stuff lately so I figured , whatever LOL.

I will read more later and post. Right now Ansley wants breakfast

Some of it sounds like age appropriate behavior (coping with sensory overload in a crowded place), but it appears jarring because she's so advanced cognitively that you'd expect her coping mechanisms to be too.

The hypersensitivity to sound- that's my son. He used to cry everyday at pre-school because of the rousing goodbye song they sang. From what I've been told, it's about management and maturing systems. The sensory seeking too. DS is coping better as he gets older. He has CAPD but it's a different set of behaviors altogether.

My son rubs at his fingers almost constantly. I have a theory- he has a huge bandwidth for information, almost like he was made to absorb and to think things through. Hence the sharp hearing, heightened awareness. When there is idle time, his brain fills it in with sensory seeking activities. Not extreme or dangerous, but just a sign of idle capacity somewhere inside.

I haven't read through the other posts so I might be duplicating.

The loud sounds and sensitivity to it is actually a normal thing for the HG+ kids. Look up SI (Sensory Integration). There is therapy for this and especially if it appears to be extreme.

As for the eye issues: it is hard to say at this age. She could very well just be annoyed with you and refusing to look at you. Do you notice it when not in that situation? It can be a flag for the spectrum. But if that is all you are witnessing I would just practice with her and see if it improves.

My DS6 does the same thing...now has callouses on his fingers. It's crazy, but I have to agree that I have the same sort of theory. That's why whenever DS6 has a sensory seeking behavior that lessens or goes away, something new always seems to surface.

Yes, when my child was 3-6, very sensitive to sound. I can only speak to this aspect. dishwasher, vacuum, a sudden loud noise, all problematic -- had to help child learn to adjust with some warning, tell child to go to room first, cover ears, etc etc

Also, loud birthday parties or a noisy/mall, child would be very sensitive. I actually think the child may be able to tolerate only so much and it may drain the child of his/her energy.

Some children find it easier to listen/hear when not having to look at a person because the facial expressions or body language is actually distracting. Rarely can a child that young explain it. Eventually my child was able to explain that fiddling with something in hand helped to focus when listening.

Sorry, not too much help here. Best of luck you.

She could be my son's double at that age. He wouldn't even flush his own toilet until he was 5, he couldn't handle the noise. Although we are foster parents, he has never been able to share his room although he has asked to several times. He HAS to have his own space to escape and de-frag. When we have company, he will visit for awhile, disappear to his room, then reappear. He tends to overload and needs time to re-orient himself.

OE's are something that many PG kiddos have. We've found that as he gets older, he has developed the coping skills he needs.

Thank you all so much. I really think after reading here and about the gifted over excitabilities, this is what I am seeing. And the more I think about the finger movement, it is really like someone said in here (I don't want to go back and find it right now LOL) but that she is wired to absorb, she does absorb everything, but this seems to help her focus so to speak. She reallyu does this while she is listening to something or I am reading to her. She will also do it if she can hold the book with one hand while she is reading. With the other she will move her fingers.

I think for now we are just going to keep working on helping her adjust and deal with these situations.

On another note. I had lunch with a friend of mine who is a middle school teacher, and she offered me the use of a lot of her resources and assessment testing that she has avialiable to her. This will be a huge help on such a small and isolate island.

Hi amazedmom,

The flapping/finger wriggling, the being "locked in" along with tantrums when her "lock" is challenged, the heavily scripted play-- these are characteristic autism spectrum traits. (My DS, 8, has Asperger's.) I don't think you can say for sure without an evaluation, but I think it's very much worth looking into. It's far better to know early.

I think you should consider having your DD evaluated by a neuropsychologist or a developmental pediatrician when you are next in a geographical position to do that. (Make arrangements for this early: qualified specialists often have enormous waiting lists.) We found it helpful to use the autism center of a children's hospital; other have had success with private practitioners.

I recommend Bashe and Kirby's book The OASIS Guide to Asperger Syndrome, and the OASIS website (http://www.aspergersyndrome.org/Home.aspx ), both of which were a lifeline for me.

Sohn and Grayson's book Parenting Your Asperger Child is also very good and deals with the phenomenon of being "locked in" (my family calls it "stuck") and how to stop those tantrums by building the skill of flexibility.

Stanley Greenspan's Floortime book is also good for helping build appropriate play skills and flexibility. There is a lot you can do on your own as a parent, even far away from institutional resources.

DeeDee

I agree with DeeDee--it seems like it would be very beneficial to get an evaluation and that it is far far better to know early if you are dealing with Asperger Syndrome. Also love the Floortime book here. Good luck!
S.