It’s not Asperger Syndrome, It’s Anxiety
Today was our last meeting with the psychologist and the results are in - it’s not Asperger Syndrome, it is Childhood Anxiety. She feels that when his anxiety manifests it can look very Aserpger-ish but he also has many non-Asperger traits. He scored “very likely” on the Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale but she said the more she uses that tool the less she likes it. I have to agree. There are 50 questions and either you’ve seen the behavior, at any point in time, or you haven’t. Its very black and white but there are many shades of grey with children’s behaviors. Today she administered the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule Module 3 and in the communication realm he scored a 2 with 2 being the cutoff for Autism Spectrum Disorder. In the Social (I think she said social reciprocity) section he scored a 4 with 4 being the cutoff for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Overall his score was a 6 with 7 being the cutoff for Autism Spectrum Disorder. He told her several times he was nervous and that in her opinion it was his anxiety coming out that caused him to score as high as he did. He did use nonverbal gestures several times and used intonation in his voice to convey intent which are two very good things.
She has recommended play therapy, a social skills class, a few CDs called Indigo Dreams. The first is Indigo Ocean Dreams and the second is called Indigo Dreams. Evidently they are children’s CDs that help a child cope with stress, fear, anxiety, anger, etc. She has suggested that we listen to them a few times a day during non-emotional times so when an episode comes he is prepared and can listen to the CD and implement the strategies.
I am sad for my son that he has anxiety that is getting in the way of his ability to make friends, socialize, etc but I am thankful that we now know what is going on and can address the issues at hand.
