My ASD Child

"Is it possible for a child suspected of having HFA to be misdiagnosed as having a Personality Disorder?" Personality disorders cannot be safely diagnosed prior to early adolescence. Still, though frequently found between the ages of 3 and 6, High-Functioning Autism [and Asperger's] is often misdiagnosed as a cluster B personality disorder, most often as the Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). 1. The HFA Child This child is self-centered and engrossed in a narrow range of interests and activities. Social and occupational interactions are severely hampered and conversational skills (the give and take of verbal intercourse) are primitive. The child's body language - eye to eye gaze, body posture, facial expressions - is constricted and artificial, akin to children with the Schizoid, Schizotypal, and Narcissistic Personality Disorders. Nonverbal cues are virtually absent and their interpretation in others lacking. Yet, HFA and personality pathologies h...

Antisocial behavior is characterized by diagnostic features such as superficial charm, high intelligence, poor judgment and failure to learn from experience, pathological egocentricity and incapacity for love, lack of remorse or shame, impulsivity, grandiose sense of self-worth, pathological lying, manipulative behavior, poor self-control, promiscuous sexual behavior, juvenile delinquency, and criminal versatility among others. As a consequence of these criteria the antisocial individual has the image of a cold, heartless, inhuman being. But do all antisocial individuals show a complete lack of normal emotional capacities and empathy? Like healthy people, many antisocial individuals love their parents and pets in their own way, but have difficulty loving and trusting the rest of the world. Furthermore, antisocial individuals do suffer emotionally as a consequence of separation, divorce, death of a beloved person or dissatisfaction with their own deviant behavior. Antisocial indiv...

School- and community-based personnel generally have had little training on how to support the youngster with Aspergers (high functioning autism). Thus, even though they are now taking an increased role in the lives of children with Aspergers, school counselors, school social workers, school psychologists, agency workers, family counselors, and other educational professionals must educate themselves about Aspergers in order to best meet student needs. Because of the complexity of the disorder and the need for a comprehensive support system, it is important that counseling and human development professionals become familiar with Aspergers and the roles that they may have in the treatment of this population. Social Characteristics of Students with Asperger Syndrome— As originally noted by Asperger (1944) and confirmed by others (Frith, 1991; Myles & Adreon, 2001; Szatmari, 1991), Aspergers is first and foremost a social disorder. In this connection, Barnhill et al. (2001 b) ...

Question I was wondering if there are any articles for fathers that can’t cope with the fact their children have Asperger’s. I realise that our 2 children are on the spectrum but for 5 years now I cannot get him to deal with it and it is going to break us up. Answer It can be difficult for a parent to accept a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome or a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder or Autism. Parents, especially of young children, often do not want a diagnosis and they don’t want to acknowledge that certain behaviors are indicators that a child has Asperger’s. Parents often make excuses for their children and learn to work around their behaviors. Coming to accept a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome can be a long process. Many parents have trouble thinking of their children as different. Some parents are relieved to finally understand why their child acts or reacts the way he does. But for those parents who have trouble coping with the diagnosis, you need to be patient and pe...

The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition (DSM IV), defines oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) as a recurrent pattern of negativistic, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that persists for at least 6 months. Behaviors included in the definition include the following: • actively defying requests • arguing with adults • being touchy, easily annoyed or angered, resentful, spiteful, or vindictive. • blaming others for one's own mistakes or misbehavior • deliberately annoying other people • losing one's temper • refusing to follow rules OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER is usually diagnosed when an Aspergers youngster has a persistent or consistent pattern of disobedience and hostility toward parents, teachers, or other adults. The primary behavioral difficulty is the consistent pattern of refusing to follow commands or requests by adults. Aspergers kids with OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER are ...