Life and the funny paths it takes...

mweckler

I just needed to share with people in the hopes I can clear my head of what is going on. So I have mentioned my son and his hyperactiveness and that at times he can be a bit of a handful. We took him to a child psychologist a few months ago to get him evaluated for ADHD and sensory processing disorder. We met with the Doctor last week, and they did confirm he has ADHD, and Anxiety. Well the doctor said she was not comfortable leaving the diagnosis at that because there were a few other things she wanted to evaluate through another test. So we agreed and she went through the test, we answered the questions, and she scored the results for us because she did not want us to have to wait another week or month, or how ever long it would take. Going off all of the test results, my son also has Asperger's, or High Functioning Autism since the DSM-V grouped all of the Autism Disorders under one general umbrella. Once I learned that I started to read up on it, and it all makes sense, all his actions, mannerisms, the arm flapping, loud talking, lack of personal space, boundary issues, it all clicked. My son is extremely smart his IQ is 111, his vocabulary is very advanced for his age, so over time we will be working on his social skills, as that is the area in which he is lacking. He does like to play with other kids and have friends, but he can sometimes be overwhelming to new kids, very in your face, up close and personal, falling on them, and loud. But the Doctor said those skills can be taught over time, which will help him as he progresses through school. I luckily am in a job where I will be home this summer with him, so I can work with him on his therapies, and building his social skills up so that when he starts kindergarten in the Fall I hope he can get a good head start.

ab6046

You're a great dad!

mweckler

Thank you I try, it has been hard with my son and not knowing he has this, but since finding out and learning more it all makes sense. It also allows me to remain calmer when he has his meltdowns, or tantrums knowing that he just can not help it. I have access to a good resource at the school I work at and one of the Special Ed teachers gave me a bunch of websites, and books to look into, and also said I can go to him with any questions or concerns I may have.

ab6046

That's great that the teachers seem to know so much about it and that they've connected you with helpful resources. It sounds like having a better understanding of what's going on will be helpful in better understanding how to effectively communicate etc.