anything like aspergers?

[mchel210]

Is there anything else like aspergers? My dd doesnt have all the qualities of an aspergers child...but she has several. My gifted DD8 does not get along with the world. As long as I can remember, she has been this way. She never liked to be held as a baby, she is OCD with everything (which we try and stop), my perfectionist, has almost no friends. She doesnt know how to "be nice" to her friends. She has no concern for their feelings. She lacks empathy. If you ask her about moods...she knows them. She knows what it means to be happy, sad, etc...she talks with a lot of tone, pitch and accent, and Im pretty sure she can understand it. She met all her walking milestones early. She was walking by 6 months. Very advanced in everything. Perfect handwriting.

She is extremely shy and cannot handle changes in her life. Last year she got an ulcer from stress. Ask her if she has friends....she will say no one likes her. She cries and whines a lot. Ugh...so much. She tries to make friends, but without empathy she doesnt keep them very long. When she feels hurt, she says very mean things to hurt her friends. She cant explain why she does it.

I know she has been raised the same as everyone else. She gets in trouble everytime she acts this way...but it seems useless.

Is there something similar to aspergers? I am waiting to see a psychologist but I know this is more then normal behavior.

[krystal70]

My YDS had Aspie tendencies but could not break the DX barrier. He was referred to a neuropsyc over the summer and they found NonVerbal Learning Disorder. It is on the spectrum so it fits him to a T almost..:) Here is a link to see if you think it fits her.

http://www.spinabifidasupport.com/nvldsyndrome.htm

http://www.ldonline.org/article/6114

This one has more info and you can search on this site using the terms NVLD or nonverbal learning disorder and pull up more information.

HTH, K

[EKS]

There's PDD-NOS, anxiety, SPD. If I may ask, how gifted is she? She may just not relate to other kids because of that. Be sure the psychologist you see gets gifted kids. Sometimes even ones that say they specialize in gifted stuff don't get 2E kids.

[mchel210]

Her gifted testing shows her at 140....I havent seen the psychologist yet...but here is her bio:

S. Elizabeth Kortlander, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Temple University and completed her Residency at Children's Psychiatric Center, where she saw children with a variety of problems.

Dr. Kortlander has a strong background in cognitive behavioral therapy, and has special expertise in treating childhood anxiety disorders. She has worked with children, adolescents, and adults at universities, mental health agencies, hospitals, and in private practice. Among children and adolescents she has treated a range of problems: anxiety (including selective mutism), depression, ADHD, conduct problems, and attachment disorders. She also has a strong interest in parenting issues, and she has researched the attributions and expectations that parents have regarding their children's behavior. Among adults, Dr. Kortlander has treated anxiety, depression, and severe mental illness.

Dr. Kortlander believes strongly in the value of combining clinical practice with an understanding of relevant research information. Her involvement with federally funded treatment outcome projects investigating the treatment of childhood Anxiety Disorders at Temple University and adolescent Substance Abuse at Florida International University have honed her skills in synthesizing academic information with applied clinical practice in these and other areas of treatment. She has also had the chance to supervise others in their clinical work both as the Clinical Director of the Susan B. Anthony Center (a residential treatment program for women with substance abuse problems) and as a Co-Investigator/Clinical Supervisor on the Alcohol Treatment Targeting Adolescents in Need (ATTAIN) research project at Florida International University.

Dr. Kortlander has published and given professional presentations on treating anxiety disorders in children, as well as treating other childhood and adolescent disorders.

[LittleIzumi]

OOps, totally not where I meant to post that. Yikes. SORRY!!!!

[EKS]

I would say at 140, especially using the new tests (like the WISC IV), that she is well into the range where the giftedness could be causing some of the problems and also into the range where many (or even most) psychologists lack experience. A lot of gifted kids are misdiagnosed with Asperger's. Of course, there are gifted kids who have Asperger's too.

You might want to take a look at The Mislabeled Child as well as Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children and Adults.

[Misty]

I have a dd8 with Asperger's and an IQ of 141! Maybe we could swap notes! Mine is very shy, awkward, clumsy, and obsessive. She has a very hard time with friendships and is perfectly happy just being at home playing with sisters and hanging out with pets.

But to answer your question about what's similar to Asperger's... Nonverbal Learning Disorder, SPD, generalized anxiety disorder, PDD-NOS, OCD, and ADHD would be the closest things, I think. Also some Asperger kids have bi-polar (or appear bi-polar-ish) and some are even confused with Schizophrenia (though rarely).

Your daughter is probably "Aspie-ish", but may not have enough for a diagnosis. I have one of those, though I do consider her to have Asperger's because in many ways she acts more Aspie than my other daughter who has the diagnosis! I have two daughters diagnosed with Asperger's and then one that is diagnosed as "Asperger traits".

[melmichigan]

Many GT kids with AS understand the concept of moods and social skills in the sense that many can pass such things as the CASTL testing, at least in elementary school. The problem is that they know the answers but don't apply them to themselves. There are also some different S/S with GT kids. A great resource to compare GT, and GT with AS is here http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/fact/asperger.pdf Some of the characteristics change in AS when you added in GT. The article is one of my favorites of those that I have come across so far.

[mchel210]

This is a great page. Thank you for sharing it. By this link...I would say my dd fits under the highly gifted category, and not the AG catagory.

I have an appointment wed. with a psychologist so I will see what they have to say. My husband and I are NOT going to mention the AG and see what they say. I dont want to change the outcome and have her diagnosed based on only my view. I imagine I will see where it leads prior to making any suggestions or comments. I think if she has this they will tell us pretty quickly.

[melmichigan]

There are days I am beyond convinced that my DD9's diagnosis is correct, and other days I still question it. Our focus has to be treating the symptoms that she displays and doing our best to give her what she needs. We have the same problem mentioned in that her IQ is past that range where things get confusing and intermix. Our insurance covered the psychologist we used; we can't afford to pay out of pocket for one of the GT specialists so we just plug along and do our best. Best wishes with finding the answers you seek. :)

[mchel210]

I met with the psychologist today. She was very nice. A lot like my mom...so I hope my dd does good with her. She was very open to everything we had to say...and sounded like she could really help. She obviously isnt making any promises...but understands everything we had to say. She asked me a lot of questions that I knew she would ask. She says while aspergers is still a possibility she is hoping it is anxiety and we can learn coping mechanisms to deal with it. She also mentions they have a few groups in town that are set up with kids that do like a group consoling session. I have never been told that with other therapists. She said they meet to learn how to treat others...or learn social cues and social skills. I found that interesting. I imagine those would be more of the asperger kids learning to work with each other.

Has anyone done a group like this?

Well...she also suggested a pych ed...which I knew she would...but says there is no rush since her IQ was already done...and the whole testing session cost so much. She didnt push that at all. I didnt want to spend the 600-1000 right now...but I guess IM going to have to spend it if it is needed.