Topic : 01/17 Extreme Disorders

 Aspergers is only disabling if the environment allows it to be.  Aspies require a more calm environment, with a lot of  "down time" and a lot of processing time.  Their sensory imput is very active, so they are quickly overloaded with information and imput which  causes them to shut down or act out.  (it would be like being at a world fair 24 hours a day, 7 days a week...noise, noise, noise!!)  Given a suitable environment aspies can achieve reasonably normal lives with joy and pleasure.  Sometimes we try to slot too many people into one box, perhaps we need other boxes to fit people into.  Why is it so bad if people want simplicity, quiet, to spend time in their rooms thinking their own thoughts, to focus heavily on one project. Aspies like to think longer about things than the rest of us, how is that a problem? We should quit trying to make people fit into our boxes and we should let them flourish in their own way.

People with wheelchairs need ramps, people with aspergers need more calmness around them and time to think. Why is this a problem?  A little extra time and a bit of comfort is not a difficult thing to give.   We should all learn to be more patient with each other.

Rage is not acceptable, but in my opinion the aspergers does not cause the rage, the frustration by not being understood does.  A more comforting environment and more acceptance and understanding would reduce the rage.  I would never yell or raise my voice to my aspie, his sensory perception would shut him down. Simple calm speaking works wonderfully well. 

I have to ask, why is it always the "other" person who has to change, sometimes we have to look within ourselves and ask, "how can I change to help my family".  I personally think it is easier to change the environment than it is to change a person, especially if changing one helps the other feel better.

I am a mother and sister to happy aspies.

S. Gregory Hipskind, M.D., Ph.D.,  Senior Medical Advisor , Brain Matters, Inc. 

  

http://www.brainmattersinc.com/ 

It's sort of a mix and match thing. Often the diagnosis will change while the underlying symptoms don't. All of these (I hesitate to say disorders but that is what they are considered by the psychiatric profession) differences are hard to sort from one another. Since they all appear in a cluster there is no hard fast rule for diagnosis just as there is no hard fast rule for treatment.  

  

I consider myself to have ADHD and dyslexia. That is what I was diagnosed with at the time I was in school but I also notice some evidence of AS and Tourettes. The important thing however is that no matter what happens your son is a special person who deserves dignity, opportunity to succeed and love. He has unique gifts that can enrich the life of everyone around him. You and his teachers, therapists and his friends need to see those and help him develope into the type of person he is meant to be. 

our dr said that tourettes starts up usually when puberty hits in a boy. 

go t o a specialist, of tourettes. 

take care; 

:)SO PRETTY 

 I didn't see the preview for this show so when I happend to turn it on I was in for a suprise. All the messages I have seen a in regardes to ASD well I am about to change all that. I have 3 sons, 12, 10, & 7, all have Tourette's, one thing that was not mentioned on the show was the fact that TS is more prominent in boys than girsl. Because my oldest boy had TS the other 2 being boys had a 95% chance of having TS as well. You also neglected to mention the fact that Tourette's is commonly comorbid with ADD/ADHD, my oldest and youngest have ADHD and the one in the middle has ADD, not to mention the high rate of OCD in people with TS. The behavioral and emotional difficulties, that accompany Tourette's also accompany ADHD, so these people are double whammied. You touched on non of these things.Raising children with Tourette's is very challanging and difficullt, you have to pick and chose what behavior they their choise and what isn't. Brain scans and imaging make for pretty pictures, but tangible facts and coping stratigies go a lot further. We have been living with Tourett's for 5 years, with the likelyhood that it will get worse with puburty, that and testing the 10yr. old for Asperger's on top of everything else, plus rage attacks, plus deppression plus holding our breath against OCD. That is the reality We live with everyday, and that's not even the half of it....

I know many people must wonder what terrible parents we are.  Yes I suspected this even before going on the show.  What you saw was the extremes and if you think we do not try to understand and help Alex you are WRONG.  But as I said to Dr. Phil we are at the end of our rope, at least I am.  Yes we yell and cry and jump down his throat, but did you see the whole scene?  Do you know what started the meltdown?  Dr. Phil can only show so much and what they chose to show the viewers were the extremes.  Alex is a wonderful kind hearted young man however when the switch flips it is like a horror film in our home or wherever it takes place.  On some occasions he actually flips the switch for attention and he has admitted that, so when is he flipping the switch and when is it his neurological disorder. 

  

We aired our dirty laundry to get help.  Comments like yours will help us as we are reaching out for answers for counseling and medication if and where needed.  We are two working parent family and due to financial struggles in our community we are both working multiple jobs, none of which are full time and we have no benefits.  We are doing all we can to make life the best for him and as I said, losing ourselves in the midst of it all. 

  

I have gone into counseling and I am sure that Alex, Richard and I are on the road to recovery.  We will be in recovery for the rest of our lives. 

  

K 

Joni, I can see that you are frustrated and searching.  I can only speak from my own experience, but I learned first about AS for myself, by reading on line, joining chat groups of people with similar circumstances,etc.  If you will let yourself be your guide with help from the internet and people you meet, you will learn to depend less on some doctor or specialist who may or may not know more about the aspie child than you do.  You must become your own expert by learning.  Then you can decide what courses of action you will try and how you will judge their success or failure. Try joining a parenting group in your area for support and information.  Don't give up.  Knowledge that you own will become very powerful in helping you and your family.

There are no meds made specifically for Asperger's.  Asperger's Syndrome is a neurological difference.   Meds. for children should be prescribed as a very last resort for extreme depression, extreme anxiety, etc.  Parents of Asperger children need to learn as much as possible about AS.  AS children can be very sensitive and get very upset when spoken to disrespectfully.  There is always a reason for a meltdown.  The best thing a parent can do is become a detective to find out exactly what is upsetting their child and help them by supporting them, offering modifications to the environment, etc.  Also,  AS children are not broken in need of fixing and they should not be made to feel as if they are broken. In treating these children with respect, kindness and patience, they do so very well.

Hello.  I am a Mom of a 14 year old son with Asperger's.  I have had much advice given to me over the years but the easiest, most practical advice which also was highly effective was given to me by our family doctor.  She was a mother of several children herself.  She suggested that I take my son to an established quiet place(we chose my rocking chair)--away from loud noises, tv, radio, other people, bright lights, movement, etc.  She advised me to hold him firmly in a hug on my lap in my rocking chair for 15 minutes.  She suggested that I do this every day at the same time for two weeks then come back in to discuss it.  Even though he felt he was "too old" to sit on Mom's lap since he was about 10, my son agreed to try it for the two weeks.  By the end of the two weeks, my son was asking to be held when he felt he needed to settle down but couldn't!  He was already diagnosed with Asperger's ADD and Childhood Depresseion and had taken anti-depressant (Prozac) then Effextor along with Ritalin then Adderall then Concerta but still he felt overshelmed and out of control at times.  He said he literally didn't know why he felt that way nor did he know what to do about it.  Having me quietly hold him allowed him one way to be guaranteed of loving reassurance and a form of quieting relief.  Try it.  It can't hurt.  It did not replace his medications but it was a wonderful experience for us both to find relief for him in a loving way.

I, too, was so shocked to see all the yelling in that house.  It disgusted me.  I am at my wits often and mentally exhausted/drained,  we spend a LOT of time dealing with AS issues.........HOWEVER, 

I would NEVER speak to ANY of my 3 children with such unloving and unkind words.  My son with AS saw that mom and was stunned.  Research- there is HELP.  She waited WAAAAAAAY too long.