My ASD Child

Question I’m an adult male diagnosed with Aspergers. Should I tell people that I have this diagnosis, or is it better that they don’t know? Answer This is mostly a matter of personal choice. Sometimes it’s good that others know – other times it may work against you. In relationships, disclosure of an Aspergers (or high-functioning autism) diagnosis has been known to save relationships that are in trouble, but it has also been known to lead to break-ups or divorce if the non-Aspergers spouse/partner is unwilling to deal with the changes/issues inherent with this disorder. Experiences have been mixed. You may want to consider disclosing your diagnosis to your employer (or potential employer) if you know that you will need some accommodations to do your best at work (e.g., incandescent rather than fluorescent lighting, solitary work rather than working in groups, flat-screen computer, etc.). If you want to disclose your diagnosis for this purpose, the best person t

"How should I go about getting my son tested for Aspergers?" Many different professionals can diagnose Aspergers and High Functioning Autism (e.g., psychologists, pediatric neurologists, developmental pediatricians, psychiatrists, and other professional diagnosticians). Getting a “comprehensive psychiatric evaluation” from a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist who specializes in Autism Spectrum Disorders would be the best option. If parents are considering getting an official diagnosis, they should bring the following items to the evaluation: any kind of “baby development log” that was kept noting important milestones (e.g., crawling, walking, first words, etc.) if the child kept a diary on his/her experiences in dealing with other people, this may be useful medical history/records parent’s/teacher’s notes on the child’s behavior school records from Kindergarten through High School that shows the child’s abilities, both weak and strong What moms and dads f

Defiant young people with ASD, or High Functioning Autism (HFA), are under the mistaken belief that they are in charge. Their defiance has worked for them in the past, and they have learned to use it to their advantage. Luckily, there are several steps moms and dads can take to get a resistant youngster to do homework. Since no two kids are alike, there is no one-cure-fixes-all method.    Mothers and fathers must use what they know about their youngster to determine which course of action works best. Very often, more than one method must be tried before a solution is found. Whichever steps are taken to get a defiant ASD teen to do homework, there are some things all moms and dads must keep in mind when managing these difficult homework situations: 1. Be available for help— You don't need to sit with your ASD youngster, but you need to be close enough that they don't have to search for you if they require help. If the youngster has to get up from their work to find y