My ASD Child

“My son wakes in a terrible, nasty mood. He goes to bed happy, laughing and loving. Nothing that I do can deter him from ruining his day and the day of those around him. I have tried everything to help him turn the day around - from being extra cheerful, music, ignoring, consequences, taking away privileges, talking about it, timeouts, etc... Although I do everything that I can to make sure that he gets adequate sleep (9pm-7am) he has been diagnosed with frequent night wakings. The doctors will not do anything about it. He was diagnosed with ADHD, age 5. However, I realized at age 7 that it was something much more complex than that. Finally, this past winter, he was diagnosed with mild-to-moderate ASD. We have provided countless hours of traditional and non-traditional therapy yet he still struggles a good portion of the time. His father passed away January '14 so that does not help matters -- and he has entered precocious puberty (being treated). Would you please be willing t

Most Aspergers (high functioning autistic) children and teens have at least one comorbid (i.e., co-existing) condition in addition to their autism diagnosis as listed below: 1. Co-occurring mental disorders— Kids with Aspergers can develop mental disorders (e.g., anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, etc.). Research shows that children and teens with Aspergers are at higher risk for some mental disorders than those without Aspergers. Managing these co-occurring conditions with medications or behavioral therapy, which teaches kids how to control their behavior, can reduce symptoms that appear to worsen a youngster's Aspergers symptoms. Controlling these conditions will allow kids with Aspergers to focus more on managing their disorder. 2. Fragile X syndrome— Fragile X syndrome is a genetic disorder and is the most common form of inherited intellectual disability, causing symptoms similar to Aspergers. The name refers to one part o

“Our son is diagnosed with AS. He has stomach problems, difficulty sleeping, and can’t stand loud noises of any kind. Is this part of AS, or are these totally separate issues?” It’s very likely that these issues are part of the Aspergers (AS) condition. There are a number of concerns that often accompany a child with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism. Here are the primary ones: 1. Fragile X syndrome is a genetic disorder and is the most common form of inherited intellectual disability, causing symptoms similar to Aspergers. The name refers to one part of the X chromosome that has a defective piece that appears pinched and fragile when viewed with a microscope. Fragile X syndrome results from a change, called a mutation, on a single gene. This mutation, in effect, turns off the gene. Some people may have only a small mutation and not show any symptoms, while others have a larger mutation and more severe symptoms. Around 1 in 3 kids who have Fragile X syndrome also meet the di

Question I'm a single mother and don't know how to deal with my 13 yr old anymore. He doesn't want to go anywhere or do anything which is hard when you have to, and I am now homeschooling him due to trouble going to school. A big problem right now is sleep issues… he is so active at night and tired during the day. At the moment he is not falling asleep till about 1 or 2 am, and I've tried waking him up earlier to reset his body clock but I can't get him out of bed. I don't know how to get him back into a healthy sleep routine. Answer Studies find that approximately 73% of kids with ASD level 1 (high-functioning autism) experience sleep problems, and these problems tend to last longer in this group than they do for kids without ASD. For example, kids on the spectrum are more likely to be sluggish and disoriented after waking. Laboratory research has begun to describe the unique physiological presentation associated with sleep problems in kids with A

"I need suggestions on how to help my child fall asleep and stay asleep! It takes him a long time to settle down, and even when he finally gets to sleep, it's not long before he wakes up and we start the whole process all over again." Studies find that approximately 73% of young people on the autism spectrum experience sleep problems, and these problems tend to last longer in this group than they do for kids without the disorder. For example, kids on the spectrum are more likely to be sluggish and disoriented after waking. Laboratory research has begun to describe the unique physiological presentation associated with sleep problems in these children, including disruptions in the sleep stage most associated with cognitive functioning (i.e. REM or Rapid Eye Movement sleep). In addition to physiological differences, some of the sleep difficulties in this population may be related to anxiety. The impact of poor sleep is unequivocal. Poor sleep negatively impacts mood

"My son has a terrible time getting to sleep, but then in the mornings, I have a terrible time getting him up and out the door for school. Any suggestions?" Unfortunately, it seems that virtually all kids with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism (HFA) are likely to suffer from disturbed sleep patterns at some point or another. Sleep problems can be divided into three main categories: (1) settling problems, where the youngster has difficulty going to sleep at the appropriate time, (2) waking problems, where the youngster wakes repeatedly during the night, and (3) arousal problems, where the child has a hard time waking up in the morning due to such a restless night. Coping with settling/waking/arousal problems will require consistent reassurance on your part -- and a creative approach to your youngster's needs. Here are some tips: 1. Allergy and food sensitivities: Kids on the autism spectrum are perhaps more likely than their peers to be sensitive to foo

"We are parents of a newly diagnosed son (age 9) with high functioning aspergers. He wakes up in the middle of the night. He is in good health. We have tried Valerian, but that has not helped much. Is this a common trait for children with autism? Could this be hormonal? Can you suggest anything to remedy this?"  The first known attempt to evaluate the sleep patterns of kids with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism (taking into account sleep architecture and the Cyclic Alternating Pattern or CAP) finds that these boys and girls have: sleep restlessness problems related to initiating sleep morning problems daytime sleepiness a high prevalence of some sleep disorders The study, authored by Oliviero Bruni, MD, of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at University La Sapienza in Rome, Italy, focused on 8 kids with Aspergers, 10 with Autism, and 12 healthy control kids. The moms and dads of these kids filled out the following materials: Autism Diagnostic O