How is Asperger's Dxed?

[elizam]

I have no idea where I would find out about this. Do older dc/teens ever find out at an older age? I read the checklists and get goosebumps, but my ds is almost 15! He has ADHD, is not seeing anyone for help, and is unmedicated. There seems to be a lot of other stuff going on with him, but maybe I read too much??? :confused:

[dragons in the flower bed]

I have no idea where I would find out about this. Do older dc/teens ever find out at an older age? I read the checklists and get goosebumps, but my ds is almost 15!

Asperger's, and any other LD, can be diagnosed at any age (except those few with a bottom limit which can't be diagnosed too young). My brother was diagnosed when he was 10, and my ex when he was in his forties. It's helpful to have a diagnosis for all kinds of reasons, says the woman who has an undiagnosed probable Aspie. I believe that the fastest route to diagnosis is to schedule an appointment with your pediatrician and ask him to refer you to a psychiatrist who specializes in autism spectrum LD. Or you could look one up in your YellowPages, depending on your insurance.

[mull-berry-ish]

This website, DSM IV Diagnostic Criteria for Asperger's made easy (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/1807/criteria.html), may help. For someone to be "clinically" diagnosed with Asperger's, you have to have meet at least two of the criteria for category I, and meet one criteria for category II and all criteria for III, IV, V and VI. You can see how people with a wide-range of criteria can fit under the asperger umbrella.

Another "down to earth" look at Asperger's can be found here (http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/) on the OASIS website. Scroll down to the last article entitled: A More Down-to-Earth Description by Lois Freisleben-Cook.

[SheilaZ]

Another option is to go to a developmental pediatrician or a neuropsychologist. It just depends on what specialists are available in your area.