Boy on the Spectrum?

[Kaddidle Care]

He sounds like quite a character - love the names of everyone in his family. :: Some of that may be encouraged by his family because it is funny.

Some of the things sound very much like my oldest who was DX'd ADHD but I swear he's an Aspie. He even had a roommate in College last year ask him if he was an Aspie.
I remember telling him all the time when he was young "Space!" because he was unaware that he was in people's personal circle of space.

You can't diagnose but you could mention that a few things he does is unusual and fish around a bit to see if the parents are suspecting something isn't quite right yet.

It is very difficult to bring up - I would focus more on his not being able to understand questions, statements and his lack of ability to form the right words.

[itlw8]

Who knows what his letter soup is but there are enough things there the parents need to get him evaluated.

Learned something today. The young man I have this summer is likely Asbergers but he does not have a final diagnisis. The parents need to hurry and get it nailed down if possible because the classifications are changing and there will no longer be asbergers.

[familyschoolcare]

Op-- I think you should give the parents a a written list of the things you have seen and heard fr your self and tell them that those are the things you have seen

that could (not are, but could) be considered part of a social or learning disability and you sujest they talk to their doctor about it. Thst is all you should tell the

parents even if asked for more information. If parents ask what do you mean what kind of disorder say I do not know I can only tell you about the out of the ordinary

behavior I see. Repaet that as often as needed. Be honest with the parnets you do not know what if anything that theire child has.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

You know that I am on the spectrum, and what you wrote screams, "ON THE SPECTRUM!" to me. For sure.

I like the idea of giving the parents a list of "odd behaviors." If nothing else, when someone says it to them again in Kinder or 1st grade maybe they'll move forward with getting him diagnosed.

[MizzCheryl]

This is a hard thing to approach with most parents.
There could be some things that he could be helped with OT. He may have some sensory dysfunction as well. The hugging , hyper sensitivity to sounds and smells could be a sensory issue.

Perhaps you could have them talk with his doctor but really doctors, in my experience, have been more of a hinderence than a help when it comes to helping parents recognize their child may need help.

Sounds like you are really helping him. I hope you are able to get him some extra help if he qualifies.
In the 14 years I have been doing this job only a few parents have been open to getting their child the help they really needed. Many times I set up speach screening and all the have to do is sign the paperwork but will not do it. It is a shame but we are limited in what we can do.

[SilverSabre25]

Who knows what his letter soup is but there are enough things there the parents need to get him evaluated.

Learned something today. The young man I have this summer is likely Asbergers but he does not have a final diagnisis. The parents need to hurry and get it nailed down if possible because the classifications are changing and there will no longer be asbergers.

Source for that information, please?

Edit: never mind, I found a few references to it. I would like to point out though that the classification may be changing; the recognition, existence, and characteristics are not. The parents don't "need" to do anything; he'll get the right help even if the name changes. Asperger's IS high-functioning autism; that's been known since 1994. They're just renaming it again. That doesn't make it go away. It might actually make it simpler to deal with, actually.

From the article linked above:

For Hernando County mother Stacy Walsh, a big book of health conditions isn't going to change what she knows about her 11-year-old son, Gavin, diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and as a high-functioning autistic child.

"The changing of the definition is probably a formal thing, but in the field that's already been accepted for a long time," said Walsh, co-director of Special Students of Hernando. "It's overdue."

And there you go. I typed the paragraph above the quote before I even read this part of the article.

[sfp]

Sometimes it's us moms (or caregivers) that diagnose ASD first and then the doctor figures it out. I can't tell you how many moms I know that knew and insisted their child be tested before any doctor ever suggested it (and were right). We know our kids. However, the spectrum is so wide and diverse it's just really hard to say.. if you have concerns I'm guessing the mom may have concerns too. Definitely worth a discussion...

[sfp]

Sorry, didn't read where you said that the parents don't have a clue...

Geeeze... that makes it harder, but still worth a discussion.

Good luck! Touchy subject.

Check out Autismspeaks.org for some great resources....

[cheerfuldom]

Are the parents open to the discussion?

[Willow]

If I were you I wouldn't recommend they bring him to a pediatrician. Too many times parents will bring a kiddo in, make an off hand remark about an overly nosey daycare provider thinking kiddo has a problem, and then bury it with a bunch of information that gives the pediatrician the impression that the child is perfectly fine. Rarely does it go anywhere unless the parent is genuinely concerned themselves and pushes for further intervention. Not to mention many don't have much in the way of education in the areas of behavior and psychology.

If I were you I'd encourage the parents to get him a preschool/pre-K eval. He's four, so plenty old enough for one, and most schools offer them at no charge regularly to try to catch kids needing intervention before they get into kindergarten. Undoubtedly they'd pick up on what you're experiencing and be able to give the parents the wake up call it sounds they need.

I have one 4 year old kiddo who was really struggling socially and cognitively. I too couldn't pin down why. I encouraged the family to get him evaluated when I saw a district wide one was upcoming on the premise that all of my other preschooler aged kiddos were having one and it would be nice for them to have a baseline. Thankfully they took him. He now falls under the special ed umbrella and the evaluators convinced them he needed to start receiving services now. They are fantastic about working with children AND getting their parents to come around.

Call your local elementary school and find out when the next one is. Then let them know most kids his age are going. Encourage them to see where he's at, let them know you'd love to learn how it turned out so if there are any weak spots you can find ways to help him strengthen them up before he starts school. Most parents are pretty receptive if you come across in a "this is a very typical thing to do" way.

[SilverSabre25]

If I were you I wouldn't recommend they bring him to a pediatrician. Too many times parents will bring a kiddo in, make an off hand remark about an overly nosey daycare provider thinking kiddo has a problem, and then bury it with a bunch of information that gives the pediatrician the impression that the child is perfectly fine. Rarely does it go anywhere unless the parent is genuinely concerned themselves and pushes for further intervention. Not to mention many don't have much in the way of education in the areas of behavior and psychology.

If I were you I'd encourage the parents to get him a preschool/pre-K eval. He's four, so plenty old enough for one, and most schools offer them at no charge regularly to try to catch kids needing intervention before they get into kindergarten. Undoubtedly they'd pick up on what you're experiencing and be able to give the parents the wake up call it sounds they need.

I have one 4 year old kiddo who was really struggling socially and cognitively. I too couldn't pin down why. I encouraged the family to get him evaluated when I saw a district wide one was upcoming on the premise that all of my other preschooler aged kiddos were having one and it would be nice for them to have a baseline. Thankfully they took him. He now falls under the special ed umbrella and the evaluators convinced them he needed to start receiving services now. They are fantastic about working with children AND getting their parents to come around.

Call your local elementary school and find out when the next one is. Then let them know most kids his age are going. Encourage them to see where he's at, let them know you'd love to learn how it turned out so if there are any weak spots you can find ways to help him strengthen them up before he starts school. Most parents are pretty receptive if you come across in a "this is a very typical thing to do" way.

This is excellent advice and she said everything I was trying to make my thoughts say. DS has a fever and has been clingy all day, so my thinking kept getting interrupted every 5 nanoseconds by a needy darling baby.