Quote From: leadonovanHi Karen -
I haven't seen the show. I read about it on an email list I am on (have a child with AS), and found this messageboard.
It may be nothing, but I was wondering if your son has been assessed for Bi-Polar Disorder?
You say Alex becomes obsessed with ideas and goes mad with your bank account. This is really typical of people with Bi-Polar in a "high" episode.
You say Alex has rages. This fits with the other end of the mood swing with BP. Rage and/or depression.
You say when Alex is "in control" he is a normal boy. This doesn't really fit with AS. The sensory integration and language disorder and social misunderstanding symptoms of AS don't really go away and the person with the AS is not in control of them, as these come from the difference in the structure of the nervous system (autism/AS is a neurological disorder). How sounds, speech etc are processed by the brain.
Forgive me if I am way off.
Lea
Lea:
I thought the same thing when I watched the show. I have a son with early onset bipolar disorder and from watching the show, Alex was EXTREMELY similar to my son. In fact, I saved the episode to show my husband thinking that maybe our son actually had Aspergers. I did some research and found that our son does not have the symptoms of Aspergers. The rages, mood swings, sensory overload, cursing, hurtful words, etc... are all symptoms of bipolar disorder in children.
Michelle
