adhd and aspbergers | ADHD Information

I'm new to this site and I'm looking for someone that has any advice for me.  My son is 9 years old and has been diagnosed w/ ADHD for 3 years and recently spoke to his doctor about other issues he's dealing with that seems to be along aspbergers.  He's currently on Concerta which seems to be helping with his ADHD but to help him with his other social/emotional issues the doctor perscribed him Abilify.  I'm really torn right now from some of the readings I've found on Abilify and would like to hear some feedback on this combination.  Thanks a lot.ABilify is an A-typical Antipsychotic, and is sometimes ued for adhd issues. I have heard of it being used for Aspergers, but there are really no meds for Aspergers, it is an Autism spectrum disorder. You should probably research asperger's and autism, with underlying ADHD. kjcc has he had a full OT (occupational therapy) evaluation. The head pounding is a sensory seeking behavior. Lots of kids with ADHD (and Asperbergers) have some for of SID, very common.  Might be worth getting an OT consult of not for now while you wait for the neuropsych eval.I don't think SHE has had a full OT evaluation- had some sort of one three years ago through school OT person. Will look into  it while waiting out nueropsch evaluation. thanks for all your support and feedback.
Initial evaluation by private non-school psycologist was leaning towards aspergers but couln't based on ratings scale we and others filled out.

I'm sorry....she .

Yeah I would go for private OT rather than the school. If she needs sensory breaks for school, bring your private OT report with recommendations to the school. I'm going to try to find you some names of neuropsych's, I will pm you.

My son has adhd and a high probablity of having Asperger's. he has had the diagnosis of adhd for about 4 years and I just found out about the Aspergers about a month ago. I figured he had it but my dr just confirmed it for me. What kind of emotional/social problems is your son having. My son will be nine in April and I would love to hear from another parent dealing with the same issues. Right now we are just trying to get his adhd meds figured out. I dont think I will give him any meds for his Aspergers unless I start noticing anxity or depression. He is so in his own world that he doesnt relize hes not like other kids YET.

i tend to think josh has aspergers and he has been dxd with depression which i feel is a combo depression, but i don't know where to go to have it actually dxd.

[QUOTE=joshsmom]i tend to think josh has aspergers and he has been dxd with depression which i feel is a combo depression, but i don't know where to go to have it actually dxd.[/QUOTE]

A reputable neuropsychologist.  

I see a developmental pedatrician for his adhd but I had him got to a group of doctors who focus on learning and attention I think they are physcologist. They ran alot of tests and I had to fill out alot of forms and so did the school. All together he attended 6 hrs of testing. At the end my husband and I had a parents meeting that took about an hour. They gave us there findings and recomondations.  I am expecting a 20 pg report anyday now that will go over all the details. Over all I was very satisfied with the findings. If it wasnt for the price and it being sooooooo (almost 2hr drive) far away I would have enrolled him in the programs they recomnded. His delopemntal pedatrician is also great. They have never pressured me into giving him meds, they always return my calls and answer all my questions. I see them every 3 months. GZS Mom:  My son will be 10 in May and he's been having a lot of anxiety and now I"m seeing some depression in him.  He doesn't get a long with a lot of kids his own age, he doesn't handle any kind of change (small or big).  Change in routine at school will cause him to have meltdowns.  Even if it's a change in school work, daily routine, desk placement etc will just through him into a panic stage.  I never understood this until now.  My husband has been active duty Marine for 14 + years so our son knows nothing but military life which is nothing but change so for him to have melt downs and anxiety attacks over changes just baffled us.  Deployments make him even more prone to bigger anxiety/depression attacks, which military children experience anyway, but these are just on the verge of uncontrollable on my part and he's still so young.  The last deployment they almost had to call my husband home due to a major issue my son was having at 8!  But we worked it out because if he would've come home early then he would've had to go back which would probably have been my son's end of rope.  Now all the "I don't understand's and why's" are making sense because it's being linked to the Aspergers.  He actually received a positive note from his teacher today for his behavior this week.  Not sure if the new med's are working but he hasn't cried at all.  I'm not sure if this helps you but these are the anxiety/depressing issues he's dealing with on a daily basis.  Please keep in touch.Joshsmom:  I took my son to a Psychologist.  The first meeting was several hours long and it was a lot of back ground info given to the doctor.  He asked us a lot of questions.  We then went back the second time w/ some issues my son was having and at this time his med's were changed and Aspergers is being focused on.  He's been on his new med for a week now and so far so good.  He actually had a positive report from the school so I'm praying that this a step in the right direction for him.  All the negatives and issues are causing his self esteem to be low and he's so sad because he thinks he's dumb and he can't do anything right.  Which is totally opposite.  He has taught me how to correct his math homework because I haven't had this kind of math (4th grade) in years. So I try to take these positives and show him he's not dumb.  This doctor we took him to was the first doctor in 2 years I felt comfortable with the diagnsis.  The other ones seen him for 5 minutes and they slap us with a prescription and say their good byes.  It's been a rough road but I'm praying that's a light ahead of us right now.

GZmom--I haven't heard of Developmental Pediatricians.  How did you track down yours?  Through referrals?

My son was diagnosed with ADHD at age 5.  In fourth grade he became extremely sensitive to what his peers were doing/saying(took things personally), he didn't like his teacher, homework became a nightmare because he thought he was "dumb", etc...  At the end of the year he was diagnosed with Aspergers.  I thought that just knowing what he had would help us deal with it.  Unfortunately, fifth grade didn't go as planned.  He became very sensitive, felt bullied, and became extremely anxious and depressed.  At one point he was hospitalized for 5 days.  This all happened so fast. Happy one day and deeply troubled the next.  The doctor finally decided that we should take him off all stimulants (which he had been taking for  the ADHD) because the stimulants CAUSE more ANXIETY!!!

We now have him off all stimulants (focus is still a problem) but he is happy again.  We also moved him to a  small private school.  I have been a public school teacher for 19 years but I see first hand how some children need the smaller classes.  He loves school now, plays well with neighborhood children after school, etc... 

I just want all parents of Asperger's children to watch for the signs of anxiety and depression.  I almost lost my 10 year old son because he was so upset about the bullying from peers.  Please watch your children for signs of depression - it can happen so fast.  Things we think they should be able to over look are the very things that cause these children anxiety.  Please check with your doctor if you think your child is anxious or depressed - stopping the stimulants could make a big improvement!

On the development pediatrics issue. I luckly have an Aunt who is a Special Ed teacher and knows alot about the Autism Spectrum Disorders She recomended the doctor we are using. Best way I think to find one is call your inssurance company or visit their web site. My ped I see is linked to Good Shepard Rehab in Allentown, PA I belive there may be one in Hershey PA but they arent as good or so I hear. GOOD LUCK       

Go to your insurance company and find out if they have a doctor in your plan. I went online and got a list of providers. I also talked to parents that I knew and we talked about doctors.

I got my son a new doctor when he entered puberty because it opened a whole new can worms. I decided that he was beyond the care of the pediatrician that saw him for 10-15 minutes every 3-6 months. Our new doctor specializes in ADHD and we have seen him every month for the last 6 months. We are now on a visit every two months.

His new doctor brought up Aspbergers during the first appointment. There were major red flags that the peds missed. We are in the screening process, which is a lot of paperwork (a 20 page intake package) and about 7 hours of screening. (That is 4 different areas/testing.)

We are having a very difficult time finding doctores to evaluate for aspergers who don't have a 6-12 month waiting list. we had an evaluation for ad/hd but pediatrician wants to revisit aspergers after dd being on meds for some 5 monthes now. Pounding head with fist in evening last two nights give us sense of urgency- I've been calling places for last three days- waiting for call back-- pressing endless menu options etc. Very telling of need for more specialist in our kids' special mental health needs.