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Anyone out there that has an Asperger son that is obsessed with WWII?

My 8 year old son was diagnosed with autism at age 4. He displayed many of the symptoms of autism, poor social skills, tantrums, sensory problems. Now with early intervention he has blossomed. At the end of Kindergarten he was assessed again by the School Board and he no longer fit the criteria for Autism. He is now in 2nd grade and doing well. He is very smart with an IQ of 132 and a verbal IQ of 148; I got these results when I had him tested to see if he was gifted. The results were yes he is gifted. I did not tell the Dr. of his prior diagnosis of Autism, I guess I wanted to believe that the earlier diagnosis of Autism was a misdiagnosis. Now I had a staffing at school and according to the onsite psychologist he does not qualify to be in the gifted program. I was upset because I think he would fit in much better with the gifted kids. My son sounds like a walking dictionary. After reading about Asperger wow that is my son! Very high IQ, high vocabulary, obsessive interests! He is obsessed with WWII history. It is mostly all he talks about, and his conversations are all fact based about what he knows.

Please is there anyone out there that has an Asperger son that is obsessed with WWII?

I want to make sense of all this and I want to be informed so that if what he has is Asperger I can understand my son better. I also want to find a social skills group for him.

I appreciate any response. Please share your story. I want to be better informed. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

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Re: Obsessions

Obsessions and compulsive behavior are typical problems linked with Asperger Syndrome Behavior. This is often a hallmark sign of Aspergers syndrome. These children may become fixated on a narrow subject, such as the weather, compulsive cleanness, sport statistics or other narrow concern.

Aspergers kids can be explicitly taught better ways of communication with others which will lessen their focus on obsession.

Medications that control obsessive behavior can be tried to see if some of the obsessiveness reduces.

In some cases, it helps to turn your child's obsession into a passion that can be integrated into his or her own extracurricular or school activities. A consuming interest in a given subject can help connect your child to schoolwork or social activities, depending on the obsession and the behavior.

Part of the obsessiveness stems from a conflict between longings for social contact and an inability to be social in ways that attract friendships and relationships.

While it is better to teach communication skills and self esteem to the younger children, communication skills and friendship skills can be taught to teens or even adults that can eliminate some of the social isolation they feel. This can avert or reverse depression and anger symptoms as well as obsessions and compulsive behavior.

Learn as much about your child as you can and learn which things trigger compulsive behavior so they can be avoided. Some compulsive behavior is completely benign and is easily tolerated by everyone involved. As parents, you need to decide which kinds of behaviors should be just tolerated and which need intervention.

My Aspergers Child: Preventing Meltdowns and Tantrums

Aspergers Meal Plans: Gluten and Casein Free

The following food items make limited use of specialty gluten-, casein- and soy-free items like expensive flours and other substitute ingredients. Most everything can be purchased at your local grocery store and these ideas are meant so that everyone in the house can eat it rather than needing to cook two meals.

Breakfast:

• Bacon Potatoes
• Cereal with milk
• Cereal, Cream of rice
• Donuts/donut holes
• Eggs, fried, scrambled, poached
• Eggs, Scrambled with avocado
• French toast
• Fruit
• Grits
• Hash Brown Casserole
• Hash Browns
• Hash with poached eggs (corned beef or ham)
• Hominy
• Meat - ham, bacon, steak, sausage
• Muffins, Banana Coconut Flour
• Pancakes, Fabulous Banana
• Pancakes, Nut Butter
• Sausage
• Waffles

Lunch:

• Chicken and rice (arroz con pollo)
• Chicken Fries
• Chicken Nuggets, Battered
• Chicken Nuggets, Pecan-coated
• Chicken Salad
• Salad, Almost-Cobb
• Sandwiches – peanut butter and jelly, lunchmeat, chicken salad, egg salad, etc.

Snacks:

• Chex-style mix
• Chicken, Buffalo Wings
• Chicken, Teriyaki Wings
• Chips
• Deviled Eggs
• Guacamole
• Hummus
• Hummus, White Bean
• Kettle corn
• Nuts
• Popcorn
• Refried bean dip
• Salsa (Pico de Gallo)

Beverages:

• Cider, Mulled
• Cocoa, Hot (Vance’s DariFree or Almond Breeze) More about milk substitutes
• Juices, Sparkling
• Mangoade
• Smoothie, Island fruit
• Smoothie, Orange Banana
• Smoothie, Tropical blend

Main Courses—

Beef & Buffalo:

• Beef Fajitas
• Beef Shanks
• Beef Short Ribs
• Beef Stew
• Beef Stew, Red Wine with Potatoes and Green Beans
• Beef Stew, Red Wine with Potatoes and Green Beans
• Beefy Stew
• Buffalo burgers
• Chili
• Hamburgers
• Meatball and Rice soup
• Meatloaf
• Pot Roast, Holly's Florida
• Prime rib with roasted garlic and horseradish crust
• Rib Roast, Herbed
• Ropa Vieja
• Rouladen
• Shish Kebabs (beef, chicken, veggie and shrimp), Build-your-own
• Sloppy Joes, Easy
• Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Steak
• Tacos

Game:

• Venison Stew

Lamb:

• Lamb, Herb Roasted
• Lamb, Chops with Pomegranate Relish

Pork:

• Beans and rice, Louisiana Red
• Black Beans and Cumin Scented Rice, Cuban
• Ham and Apple Stacks
• Navy Bean/Split Pea Soup with Ham
• Pork chops, Stuffed
• Pork fried rice
• Pork Shoulder roast
• Pork, Pulled sandwiches
• Pork, Roast Loin with Apples
• Pozole
• Ribs, Melt in your mouth
• Roast pork loin, Simple
• Sausage, Italian with peppers and onions
• Tamales, Traditional pork

Poultry:

• Almost-Cobb salad
• Apple pecan chicken salad
• Chicken Diane
• Chicken Fajitas
• Chicken Marengo
• Chicken Noodle soup
• Chicken Nuggets, Battered
• Chicken Nuggets, Pecan-coated
• Chicken Vegetable Soup
• Chicken, Alex’s Double-coated Fried
• Chicken, and rice
• Chicken, Apricot Glazed with dried plums and sage
• Chicken, Arroz con pollo
• Chicken, BBQ
• Chicken, Citrus-garlic-ginger sauce
• Chicken, Coconut finger salad
• Chicken, Drumsticks, Apricot glazed
• Chicken, Honey Mustard kabobs
• Chicken, Lemon
• Chicken, Lemon-Pepper Thyme
• Chicken, Maple Orange Glazed breasts
• Chicken, Pulled BBQ sandwiches
• Chicken, Roasted Rosemary with Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Chicken, Sticky Coconut
• Chicken, Stir-Fry
• Cornish Hens, Glazed
• Goose, Roasted with cherry sauce
• Shish Kebabs (beef, chicken, veggie and shrimp), Build-your-own
• Turkey & Rice Soup
• Turkey, Brined
• Turkey, Roast

Seafood:

• Salmon, Baked, maple glazed
• Salmon, Grilled
• Salmon, Poached
• Shish Kebabs (beef, chicken, veggie and shrimp), Build-your-own

Vegetarian:

• Black Bean-Chipotle chili
• Shish Kebabs (beef, chicken, veggie and shrimp), Build-your-own

Side dishes:

• Caramelized apples
• Cranberries, Best Relish
• Polenta
• Rice, Arroz Con Gandules
• Rice, Brown
• Rice, Brown, Salad with tomatoes
• Rice, White
• Rice, Wild
• Rice, Wild, stuffing with hazelnuts and dried cranberries
• Salad, Watergate
• Spring rolls
• Stuffing, World’s best cornbread
• Sweet Potatoes, Candied

Bread:

• Cornbread

Vegetables:

• Artichokes, BBQ
• Artichokes, Boiled
• Asparagus, Grilled
• Asparagus, Grilled with Meyer lemon vinaigrette
• Asparagus, steamed
• Beans
• Beans, BBQ Baked
• Beans, Black
• Beans, Mexican
• Broccoli
• Butternut squash
• Carrots
• Chard
• Collard greens
• Corn on the cob
• French fries
• Green beans with lemon and walnuts
• Hash browns
• Plantain Rounds, Double-Fried
• Potato and zucchini pancakes (latkes)
• Potato, tomato, corn and basil salad
• Potatoes, Bacon
• Potatoes, Baked
• Potatoes, Mashed
• Potatoes, Sliced baked
• Spaghetti squash with marinara
• Spinach, Sautéed
• Sweet potato casserole
• Sweet potato fries, Baked
• Sweet potatoes, Candied
• Zucchini, Fried
• Zucchini, Grilled

Dressing, Gravy & Sauces:

• 1000 Island
• Apple Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Avocado Dressing
• Basil Vinaigrette
• Blackberry Dressing
• Creole mustard dressing
• French Dressing
• Gravy, Foolproof Giblet
• Gravy, Turkey
• Honey Sesame Dressing
• Kitchen Bouquet Recipe
• Marinara Sauce
• Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
• Sweet and Sour Dressing
• Tarragon Egg Dressing
• Vinaigrette Dressing

Soups:

• Beef Stew
• Beef Stew, Red Wine with Potatoes and Green Beans
• Beefy Stew
• Black Bean-Chipotle chili
• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Chicken Vegetable Soup
• Chicken Veggie Stew
• Chili
• Louisiana Red Beans and Rice
• Meatball and Rice soup
• Navy Bean/Split Pea Soup with Ham
• Turkey & Rice Soup
• Venison Stew

Desserts:

• Apple pecan pie
• Chocolate, Sweet dark
• Meringue Triple Stars
• No-bake pumpkin pie
• Peanut butter balls
• Peanut butter cookies
• Popcorn, Party
• Popcorn, Sweet nutty treats

Salads:

• Almost-Cobb salad
• Apple pecan chicken salad
• Chicken salad
• Chicken, Coconut finger salad
• Fancy salad
• Mushroom spinach salad with tarragon egg dressing
• Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon and Apple Cider Dressing
• Turkey & Mixed Green salad with Strawberries and Kiwi
• Watergate salad

Kids Only:

• Buffalo Burgers, Mini
• Chicken Fries
• Chicken Nuggets, Batter-dipped
• Chicken Nuggets, Pecan-coated
• Food-on-a-stick
• French Fries, Oven
• Potato Logs
• Shepard Pie, Easy
• Sweet Potatoes and Red Potatoes, Baked

Holidays—

Meats:

• Goose, Roasted with cherry sauce
• Ham
• Lamb, Chops with Pomegranate Relish
• Lamb, Herb Roasted
• Prime rib with roasted garlic and horseradish crust
• Rib Roast, Herbed
• Salmon, Poached
• Turkey, Brined
• Turkey, Roast

Sides:

• Cranberries, Best Relish
• Gravy, Foolproof Giblet
• Gravy, Turkey
• Green beans with lemon and toasted walnuts
• Jello mold with canned fruit
• Potatoes, Mashed
• Salad (fancy)
• Salad (plain)
• Salad, Watergate
• Stuffing, Rice
• Stuffing, World's Best Cornbread
• Sweet potatoes, Candied

Desserts:

• Apple pecan pie
• Chocolate, Sweet dark
• Meringue Triple Stars
• Peanut butter balls
• Peanut butter cookies
• Pears, Poached
• Popcorn, Party
• Popcorn, Sweet nutty treats
• Pumpkin Pie
• Pumpkin pie, No-bake

My Aspergers Child: Preventing Tantrums and Meltdowns

Is Abilify® Safe for Children with Autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurobiological condition that cannot be cured. Although medications do not fully alleviate the symptoms, it is common for physicians to prescribe a variety of medications to help improve a child with Autism’s outlook and circumstances.

Anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and drugs for hyperactivity are all commonly used to lessen the effects of social anxiety, depression, fear, sensory issues, and additional emotional distresses that can cause problems for children with ASD.

With trial and error, the correct medication course and dosage can make all the difference in the life of a child with Autism or ASD. Medication, while not appropriate for all children with Autism, can change the course for some children, allowing for a life of independence.

Researchers are working to find medications that can be used to treat the symptoms of ASD in children. Some medications can serve dual purposes, like an anti-seizure medication that also happens to be a mood stabilizer. Finding safe medication choices for citizens is a job that the US Food and Drug Administration takes very seriously.

Researchers, physicians, parents, and patients can feel relatively certain that when a drug is approved by the FDA for pediatric use, it is safe to use in that capacity. Recently, the FDA approved the drug Abilify® to treat irritability in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can read the official announcement from Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and the FDA here: http://www.medilexicon.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=172339

My Aspergers Child: Preventing Meltdowns and Tantrums in Aspergers Children

Is Early Intervention the Answer?

Thanks to the recent advances in the areas of research and awareness, children are being diagnosed with ASD at increasingly younger ages. In the past, a child with Aspergers would easily go undiagnosed until the second year of school, or even later. Pediatricians are now using guidelines for developmental milestones, along with parental checklists, to question whether young children need to be tested for ASD. Because of these efforts, children as young as 15-18 months of age are receiving the Autism diagnosis, allowing for early treatment options.

Early Intervention programs are state-run government programs that offer testing, evaluation, and treatments to children from birth to age three, with medical needs and/or developmental delays. These programs are funded by state and federal government agencies and are offered to families at no cost beyond health insurance coverage. In most cases, testing is done in the child’s home and therapies are offered within the home if possible.

Recent studies are showing that these Early Intervention programs are making a significant difference in the lives and abilities of children with Autism. The University of Washington in Seattle has published a paper on one such study. This five-year study involved US toddlers who had been diagnosed with Autism. You can read more about the effectiveness of Early Intervention as found in the study at the University of Washington by clicking this link: http://www.medilexicon.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=172495

My Aspergers Child: Preventing Meltdowns and Tantrums in Aspergers Children

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